Forget looking to two-legged celebrity athletes for inspiration – Sportswear brand ASICS has declared that 2025 will be all about four-legs and fur getting us up off the couch and active. They’ve officially signed Felix the Samoyed, a fluffy white cloud of canine influence, as an official brand ambassador.
The logic here, according to the press release, is that dogs are excellent motivators for exercise. They even have research suggesting a significant majority of dog owners credit their pup as their main push to get moving, leading to better physical activity and improved mental states. So, ASICS is tapping into that undeniable truth: a wagging tail is more persuasive than a personal trainer.
As part of this campaign, ASICS is inviting dog owners to put their own pups forward to become “Mind’s Best Friend Ambassadors.” Selected dogs get ASICS gear (tiny sneakers on the way?), and for every social media post with the hashtag #MindsBestFriend, ASICS will donate to mental health charities. Gary Raucher, ASICS’s Global Head of Marketing, even tied it back to their motto, “Anima Sana in Corpore Sano,” or “Sound Mind in a Sound Body,” noting the “uplifting power of movement.” A power dogs inherently understand, usually right when they uplift their leg to pee.
With dogs now officially endorsing a top sportswear brand, are we far off from cats modeling Lululemon yoga pants? Or hamsters promoting a tiny Peloton hamster wheel?