sports & empowerment: how brands are getting hong kong women to sweat

BRAIN BITESDDB Group Hong KongWhite Paper SeriesIssue 4September 2015

BRAIN BITESIssue 4September 2015 “Rules are what the artist breaks;

the memorable never emerged from a formula.”

- Bill Bernbach

This issue of Brain Bites explores how sports brands in Hong Kong attempt to connect with female audiences. Reviewing some of the category’s most dominant brands’ practices, three key takeaways are provided to inspire marketers looking to own a piece of the pie that is the women’s sport market.

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For decades, sports culture has been a male driven culture; as such it created barriers for women to participate. Despite the growing economic, political, social, and educational empowerment that has allowed women to expand their freedom and become more independent, it was not until the turn of the century that they began feeling more comfortable in embracing their active side.

For women in Hong Kong, there are no exceptions. They too are embracing a new wave of exercising and being more health conscious overall.

What emerges is a phenomenon that continues to make the sports category one of the most exciting industries on the planet right now. As women are being more active, brands have no other choice but to shift their focus away from old-fashioned images.

After all, women have broken free from the confines of the traditional stereotype that ‘women can’t do sports’ and are showing the world that women can be as passionate about sports as men - if not more. This shift has created new opportunities for brands that have traditionally targeted men but are now, more than ever, hoping to own a piece of the pie that is the women’s sport market.

With so many brands leaving their comfort zone and jumping on the bandwagon, what does it truly take for them to lead?

Looking at the category’s most dominant brands’ practices, here are my three key takeaways.

#1 Cater to needs on a deeper emotional level

For Hong Kong women these days, working out is not just about staying fit or getting toned anymore - it is about the feeling of empowerment as well. In other words, women now also endeavour to sweat as a badge of honour.

However, living in a city that averages 43.3 working hours per week can make it rather difficult to carve out some extra time for gym sessions and workouts. That is why Hong Kong women are looking for a quick-fix to stay fit both physically and mentally. Indicative of this trend is the high demand for fitness centres that provide yoga or trainings right before and after work.

But is just providing training at convenient hours enough to connect with everyday female athletes?

The answer is no. Convenience is just a green fee.

That is why Nike, for example, started the Nike Training Club (NTC) - a club with the mission to not only provide a space and facilities for training, but one that offers encouragement, support and empowerment. In establishing NTC, Nike did not just start a simple training group; they started a movement. As a result, Nike Women has become a respected partner in crime, shown by its huge social media following of 3.6 million fans.

Reebok, on the other hand, showed what not to do when they opened a

Sports & empowerment: how brands are getting Hong Kong women to sweat

Sports & empowerment

by Timothy Wong

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BRAIN BITES

Women have broken free from the confines of the traditional stereotype that ‘women can’t do sports’ and are showing the world that women can be as passionate about sports as men.

Issue 4September 2015

facility centre in Hong Kong back in 2010 that hosted a program called Reebok CrossFit Asphodel. Its focus was strictly directed at the functional benefits of the program and its regiment trainings required longer hours in the gym. This of course made it way more difficult for busy Hong Kong women to follow through with it.

In conclusion, Nike has succeeded by connecting itself to regular activities for women that provide inevitable benefits on a deeply emotional level, rather than just functionally promoting a program like Reebok did. Nike took a step beyond by clearly understanding their audience’s motivations as well as barriers.

#2 Understand the bigger social context

For many women, sports participation is wrapped into a broader statement about their identity. The emerging trend towards more lifestyle-related sports has been reflected in fashion-conscious cities like Hong Kong, whereby women are willing to pay as much for sportswear as they would for a formal dress.

It’s all about clothing that not only makes you look and feel good, but also facilitates an expression of freedom, self and determination.

And the industry certainly is reacting to this.

In an interview with Business of Fashion, Nike Brand President Trevor Edwards explains that their

women’s line still is grounded in a great performance product, but that the expression of it became equally important.

“One of the things that we recognise in the women’s business, is that there is no performance without style,” he added.

Another example for a brand that understands the intersection of sports, self-expression and empowerment is Canadian yoga-apparel maker and retailer Lululemon Athletica Inc. Their success recipe: produce sports wear that doesn’t just look great but more importantly, changes the way the wearer thinks and feels.

Fashion has been known to evolve and shift physical and emotional identities, express sexuality, femininity, and day to day feelings. Recent research now shows how impactful the influence of sports wear can be as it reveals that a person’s motivation can come from a lot more than simply responding to the physical needs of the sport (Hajo Adam, Adam D. Galinsky, 2012).

Even Puma, a brand with a strong portfolio in more male-driven sports such as football and motorsports, is now finding ways to embrace female empowerment and re-position itself as a lifestyle and activewear brand. As part of this effort, they announced Rihanna as the new creative director/brand ambassador last year.

Collaborations like this are a way to expand a brand’s creative ecosystem and keep consumers

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BRAIN BITESIssue 4September 2015


Image courtesy Nike Hong Kong

engaged. The biggest imperative, however, is to strategically choose the right is to strategically choose the right endorsers that represent modern women while staying true to the brand’s vision.

Fashion in Hong Kong has become even more instrumental in the construction of women’s identities. Instead of the beauty that the clothing brings, brands should focus more on what type of statement their clothes make and how they can help women to express themselves.

#3 Identify who truly influences behaviour

Research has shown that women seek out friendships with others as a means of regulating stress levels (Laura Klein, Shelley Taylor, 2002).And this is particularly true when it comes to sports. That is because when women are challenged to push themselves harder and perform better, their inclination is to nurture those around them and reach out to others. It has become a socio-cultural learning experience that has allowed women to learn to share roles and work together towards a common goal.

Brands have started to leverage the insight that women greatly prioritise friendship, and assist them in redefining the stereotypes of female socialising - in other words, it’s doesn’t need to be about shopping or dining out all the time.

Adidas Hong Kong, for instance, has been part of an unrivalled

movement to ignite women’s interests in sports while encouraging them to unite and find a shared passion for exercise.

“Based on our findings, women tend to go further and aim for their personal best in sports when they come together with a group of close friends they call ‘sisters’”, says Simon Millar, Adidas China’s Senior Vice President of Marketing in a Campaign Asia article.

It has become the company’s strategy to capture the special bond between women by recognising the impact of inspiring one another to push boundaries.

Based on a similar insight, New Balance has developed a global campaign called ‘Girls Night Out’, redefining “regular” girls’ outings in high heels, sipping cocktails by encouraging women to stay active with their friends.

New Balance’s initiative aims to empower women through both physical and social experiences, with the brand playing an enabler role.

"The program is designed to enrich women’s busy lives so that they and their friends can be challenged, rewarded, educated, entertained, pampered, and most importantly, connected, to experience what they enjoy most — fitness and friends," says Norma Delaney, New Balance’s Senior Manager of Global Advertising and Brand Strategy on the brand’s website.

As we have learnt from the above, women’s connections

Instead of the beauty that the clothing brings, brands should focus more on what type of statement their clothes make and how they allow women to express themselves.

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with their peers not only improvetheir personal lives, but alsohave a significant effect on theirhealth and well-being.The support, encouragement and competitive edge that women have given each other helps them to unlock their full potential both inside and outside the gym. This special bond has also inspired women to become more independent through realising they are actually stronger and more capable than they might have thought, building a community of influencers who, in turn, influence and inspire each other.

Afterword

In Hong Kong, today’s women’s motives for getting fit go far beyond the want to improve physical appearances. Exercising is increasingly related to the feeling of pride and personal achievement.

While we can observe a strong shift away from masculine sports stereotypes, Hong Kong’s marketing and advertising community has only scratched the surface when it comes to making a real and significant contribution to female empowerment.

Let’s see who can truly disrupt the market! Let’s see who can become the ‘Dove’ of sports in Hong Kong.

Sources: Richard Wong. "Are Standard Working Hours a Good Thing for Hong Kong?" SCMP, 24 Feb. 2015.

Robin Mellery-Pratt. "Why Are Sportswear Giants Nike and Adidas

Embracing Fashion?" The Business of Fashion. 21 Jan. 2015.

Adam, Hajo, and Adam D. Galinsky. "Enclothed Cognition." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (2012): Vol. 48, No.4, 918-25.

Shelly Taylor, and Laura Klein. Biobehavioral Responses to Stress in Females: Tend-and-Befriend, Not Fight-or-Flight (2000):Vol. 107, No. 3, 411-429. University of California, Los Angeles Psychological Review.

Adidas China’s new #mygirls campaign sharply contrasts with Western sports marketing. In : www.campaignasia.com

Hong Kong’s marketing and advertising community has only scratched the surface when it comes to making a real and significant contribution to female empowerment.

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DDB Group Hong Kong DDB Group Hong Kong (DDB, Tribal and RAPP) is united behind our founder, Bill Bernbach's belief, that creativity is the most powerful force in business. Today, we use that creativity to develop ideas that people want to play with, participate in, and pass on. We call this social creativity. DDB Group Hong Kong is one of the most awarded agencies in Hong Kong, leading in creativity and effectiveness. We were leaders at Cannes Lions in 2012, and 2013 and the Hong Kong Effies in 2012, 2013 and 2014. At Marketing’s Agency of the Year Awards 2012 we were named Creative Agency of the Year.

DDB Group Asia Pacific DDB Group Asia Pacific is cohesive collaboration of global businesses, including DDB (advertising), Tribal Worldwide (digital) Rapp (data-driven marketing and analytics) Interbrand (brand consultancy), DDB Remedy (healthcare and medical), Mango PR (PR and experiential) and Tracey Locke (shopper marketing). Comprising of 33 offices in 14 countries DDB Group Asia Pacific is part of the DDB Worldwide communications network and Omnicom Group.