The vast majority of runners use the wrong shoes for their foot type. They just go to a store and buy whatever running shoes they like, unaware that the wrong shoe can harm the body instead of being beneficial. More than 100 muscles and 33 joints, tendons and ligaments can be affected by using the wrong running shoe. To prevent this, ASICS developed the FOOT TYPE TEST AD. A simple magazine ad, but printed on a special heat sensitive ink, that reacts with the body temperature. The copy and body copy instruct the reader to stand over the ad for about 60 seconds. The ink will reveal their footprint in detail, so all it’s left to do is compare it with the foot types illustrated at the corner of the ad: pronator, supinator, neutral.

The FOOT TYPE TEST AD was printed in a common offset printing, but it used a special heat sensitive ink that reacts with the body heat. The printed ad was placed as second cover, over the most important running magazines in Brazil. With this, even before you could enter the world of running, ASICS presented this important issue: to learn your foot type to find a proper running shoes. Because we’ve chosen running magazines, this interactive ad helped the readers, people who already are interested in the running activity, to improve their performance in an active way. The FOOT TYPE TEST AD was published on the April edition of monthly running magazines, including a special edition about running shoes of the RUNNER’S MAGAZINE.

All the 2.500 magazines on that the FOOT TYPE TEST AD were published were sold out. Because it’s unusual appeal and it ability to actively help runners, the printed ad reached the online media, and people started to talk about the ad all over social media. During the month that the ad was published, the ASICS’ social networks had an increase of 54% on its facebook and Instagram profile. On twitter, mentions of the brand increased by 83%. And we have a 400% increase of unique visitor over the ASICS’ website. On the brand channels, there were and increase of 43% of people inquiring about running health issues and asking more information about foot types. Beyond that, the ASICS STORE in Sao Paulo had an increase of of customers of 33%, with 15% of them already aware of their foot type.

Every sport practicant is subjected to some kind of injury. A runner that doesn't use proper shoes for his/hers foot type may harm more than 100 different muscles and 33 joints, tendons and ligaments.

One way to prevent this is to do a foot type test. We used printed media to simplify and popularise this, transforming a cover magazine ad in a foot type test. A free, interactive and reusable way to help improve people’s health in matter of seconds. The copy claims: IT SEEMS LIKE AN AD, BUT IT'S A FOOT TYPE TEST.

With the FOOT TYPE TEST AD we wanted to reach out all runners, especially those who are starting this activity. So we published the ad in the cover of the most popular running magazines in Brazil. The distribution of the magazines were special segmented to places where there are high number of practitioner of running, like neighbourhoods near parks and neighbourhoods near the ASICS STORES. Readers were surprised by this all black magazine ad, right in the cover, asking them to do a foot type test in that moment. The copy claims: IT SEEMS LIKE AN AD, BUT IT'S A FOOT TYPE TEST.

In Brazil, it’s nos that simple neither common to find out your foot type. You have to look for a specialist, such an orthopedist or go to one of the few sports equipment stores that do such test.

ASICS is a brand that worries about the health and want to improve runners performance, so it needed to create a way to make a foot type test more simple, accessible and easy to find. The best way was to create a mass media printed ad.

ASICS has a mission to help runners better understand their bodies, avoid lesions and improve their performance, and for this reason has special running shoes, made specific for each type of foot (pronator, supinator, neutral). By doing this ad, we helped the consumer to find and use ASICS shoes for the purpose that they were created.