Our execution employed the technological innovation for which ASICS was famed, to put supporters inside the race no matter where in the world they were. This was achieved by using the runners’ RFID timing chip to connect their runs with Facebook. This allowed them to automatically post pre-written messages for their networks to enjoy, along with distance run/remaining, live timing, and location data plotted on Google Maps, at checkpoints throughout the race. Similarly, friends and loved ones were able to upload videos of support, which were triggered and played as runners approached giant screens along the course.

The success of the ASICS ‘Run With Me’ campaign was quantified by the volume of supporter content created and the number of runners who connected their race to Facebook for real-time updates. 6,000 messages of support were uploaded to the micro-site. 1,000 video messages were created at the event, with 35% of runners receiving video support. 15% of the entire field connected their run on Facebook. This generated thousands of unique status updates from inside the race and tens of thousands of return comments from friends and family.