ASICS:
Blackout Track
A unique scientific experiment to test athlete's minds
Year
2018
Awards
FWA: Site of The Day
Lovies: Best Brand Experience
Location
Printworks, London, UK
Agency
Edelman Deportivo
Production Company
UNIT9
My Roles
Creative Director
UX Designer
Physical Designer
About
The ASICS Blackout Track was a global platform to launch the Gel Kayano 25 range and brought together athletes and brand ambassadors from around the world to test both the shoes and athlete's minds in an extraordinary environment. The test was developed in collaboration with sports scientists and top coaches to see if removing all distractions would encourage or discourage runners to truly focus their minds. The multi-zone event was designed to lead athletes first through a product showcase before they were theatrically stripped of all distractions such as music players and fitness trackers. They were briefed in the warm up zone before heading to the 150 metre circuit that was void of any sonic distraction and cloaked in complete darkness. They ran to nothing but pink noise and a single spot light that tracked their movement to lock them into their own minds. Spectators could view the athletes in the observation zone via one way glass windows. Night vision and thermal imaging video streams also displayed the action on large displays with live data overlaid. The results of the experiment were surprising and the event as a whole was hugely popular with running communities the world over.
