In late October through early November, Japanese sportswear giant ASICS rolled out its latest Web3 initiative by unveiling a new, limited-edition physical shoe in a tie-up with blockchain platform Solana Pay which included an exclusive NFT offer tied to the purchase of the sneakers.
The ‘Asics x Solana UI’ collection – a custom GT-2000 11 running shoe available in ‘light mode/white’, ‘dark mode/black’ to symbolise the balance between physical and digital – between outdoor running and indoor screen time.
Physical product purchasers (for $200 USDC) also automatically receive an ASICS Badge NFT which acts as a digital ticket to unlock online walled opportunities such as the chance to receive an airdrop of limited-edition ASICS x STEPN NFT sneakers, other rewards and experiences and which can also be used to play STEPN: the Web3 lifestyle app created by Find Satoshi Lab, that combines elements of gaming with fitness experiences and rewards users with tokens for staying physically active.
The kicks, which were made available for pre-order up until 9 November using USDC cryptocurrency on Solana Pay, were promoted through a social, influencer and PR campaign.
2/ Come for the running shoes, stay for the @ASICSamerica rewards badge NFT
ASICS Badge holders are automatically entered to win an airdrop of a limited edition ASICS x @Stepnofficial sneaker NFT https://t.co/Og7WW4Rk8q pic.twitter.com/7WpdEEEt6A
— Solana Breakpoint | LISBON Nov. 4-7 (@SolanaConf) November 4, 2022
Psst https://t.co/RnjSHWa7Pb pic.twitter.com/tcakdXkSYb
— Solana Breakpoint | LISBON Nov. 4-7 (@SolanaConf) November 2, 2022
STEPN + ASICS Airdrop
Purchase the @ASICSamerica x @SolanaConf physical GT-2000 to enter the exclusive ASICS + #STEPN NFT airdrop raffle. There are 1 Rare, 150 Uncommon and 850 Common ASICS-STEPN Solana NFTs available.https://t.co/1L5HyRPF1x pic.twitter.com/1NYdxGIOAX
— STEPN | Public Beta Phase V (@Stepnofficial) November 4, 2022
1/ It’s time to move. @ASICSamerica just dropped a @Solana-inspired shoe ONLY available for pre-order during #SolanaBreakpoint (only accepting USDC via @solanapay)
Visit https://t.co/RnjSHWaFEJ to pre-order before the window closes. pic.twitter.com/HCHO0aHlP5
— Solana Breakpoint | LISBON Nov. 4-7 (@SolanaConf) November 4, 2022
“As a first mover in this space, ASICS is leading the industry by showing how customers and brands can come together around tokengated experiences that provide ongoing e-benefits to both sides,” said Solana Labs Head Of Payments Josh Fried.
Comment
Yep, apparently, it seems sportswear brands are still doing this.
ASICS states that its alliance with blockchain platform Solana enables fans and customers all around the world to buy its limited-edition shoes via a decentralised currency. Something the sports shoe brand claims is a category first.
The initiative also illustrates the current trend for emphasising rewards as a route to driving consumer loyalty and boosting data gathering.
While ASICS and STEPN initially collaborated in April 2022 to create the ASICS x STEPN Origins collection and the extension of the tie-up illustrates continued efforts to support physical and mental wellbeing in the Web3 community.
This latest ASICS NFT, Web3 play follows on from its first foray into this space back in July 2021 with ASICS 189-piece ‘Sunrise Red NFT Collection’.
Only hours left to own your piece of the ASICS SUNRISE RED™ NFT COLLECTION.
Get your piece of footwear history before the auction closes today at 12PM EST. https://t.co/CMN3gHRApd pic.twitter.com/g89ibdrmpR
— ASICS America (@ASICSamerica) July 19, 2021
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