Asics North America is going the distance.
The Irvine footwear and apparel brand inked a five-year deal last month with L.A.-based race operator Conqur Endurance Group to be the official footwear, apparel and presenting sponsor of the Los Angeles Marathon.
Asics takes over from former sponsor Skechers USA Inc. in L.A.
The deal marks the second time Asics, which is a unit of Japan-based Asics Group, has become the presenting sponsor of the LA Marathon. It previously held the title from 2014 to 2015.
Newly minted Asics North America Chief Executive Koichiro Kodama said the sponsorship “solidifies its commitment to the run category.”
“Asics is back and more dedicated than ever to drive our brand forward as we build off of the very foundation we were created on—performance running,” Kodama said in a statement. “We are honored to have this opportunity once again and look forward to reconnecting with our core audience to bring the west coast community together to celebrate this great sport.”
Conqur and Asics will kick-start their partnership next year with the Pasadena Half Marathon in January. In addition, Asics will be the official partner for The LA Big 5K and Santa Monica Classic 5K and 10K, as well as support Conqur’s youth running and community programs.
Other marketing efforts to support the sponsorship will include in-store and on-site activations, digital and social media content, broadcast and online promotions.
Asics will also launch a limited collection of footwear, apparel and accessories for the 2020 race that will be available at Asics retail stores, online and the 2020 L.A. Marathon Expo, which take place prior to the March race.
The athletic brand has recently been making a stronger push in making shoes for serious runners.
Kodoma has said it wants to get the company “back to our roots of focusing on run specialty, especially in the North American market.”
Cool Socks for Gamers
Another OC-based retail brand is getting into the esports scene.
Sock maker Stance in San Clemente agreed to supply the 21 teams in the professional esports league NBA 2K last month in a multi-year partnership. In-game avatars will also be wearing Stance socks.
While the sock, underwear and T-shirt brand has been the official sock of the NBA, this partnership is the first time the company has outfitted esports players and teams.
Players will have team-branded socks and a collection of StancexNBA 2K League socks will be sold on Stance’s website.
The sock maker joins Champion Athletic Wear and New Era as official suppliers.
NBA 2K was founded last year as a joint venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (Nasdaq: TTWO).
The league recently announced a streaming deal with YouTube to simulcast live broadcasts of its more than 230 regular-season, tournament, playoff and final games on the video platform in addition to Amazon’s Twitch.
