Asics America Corp., the official footwear and apparel partner of the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon, will celebrate the world's largest marathon with the “World's Biggest Selfie Stick,” a 90-foot-tall interactive structure set to open at Gansevoort Plaza in Manhattan next week.

The eight-story-tall selfie stick, which will be open to the public from Thursday, Oct. 29 through Saturday, Oct. 31, builds on the theme of Asics' global “It's a Big Race. Go Run It.” ad campaign and is designed to give all race fans the chance to participate in the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon – even if they aren't running it. Using the custom module, visitors will be able to capture a one-of-a-kind, race-themed selfie video on their own phones during the countdown to Marathon Sunday.

“The 2015 TCS New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world, and it seemed only fitting to create something larger-than-life to celebrate the record number of runners and fans that will hit the streets on November 1,” said Shannon Scott, Sr. director marketing at Asics America. “The entire city of New York rallies together in support of this great race, and Asics is proud to honor the thousands of runners – and millions of fans – whose passion and energy make this the best and biggest marathon in the world.” 

At Gansevoort Plaza, participants will affix their personal phones into a custom selfie-orb and push the launch button, which will trigger the phone's built-in video function and send the phone along the 90-foot, high-speed track into the sky. When it reaches its highest point, the phone will pause to reveal and capture a special message, then begin its trip back down the custom track.  When the video record ends, participants will have an original selfie video that can be shared across any social channel using the hashtag #GoRunIt.

Asics America's 2015 TCS New York City Marathon programs – which in addition to “The World's Biggest Selfie Stick” include a special collection of New York City Marathon-branded gear, social and digital initiatives, charitable contributions and a robust media plan – will further bring the brand's “It's a Big Race. Go Run It.” campaign to life in the Big Apple.

Get in Gear

To commemorate the achievement of so many dedicated runners, and to make sure everyone is geared up for the big day, Asics America has launched a 2015 TCS New York City Marathon special collection of apparel, accessories, and footwear.  For a limited time, Asics's most technically advanced shoe, the GEL-Quantum 360™, as well as the GEL-KAYANO® 22 and GEL-NIMBUS 17, will be available in a special marathon-inspired print that honors the spirit of New York's vibrant street art and graffiti history.  In addition to footwear, the collection also features apparel and accessories for men and women, including shirts, shorts, running tights, backpacks, hats, and more.

The special edition collection of 2015 TCS New York City Marathon merchandise is available at Asics stores, select retailers, and online at http://www.asicsamerica.com/nycm. 

Race Day Sign Generator

To celebrate the special relationship between the marathon and the New York City crowd, Asics has launched a Race Sign Generator on its website. The online platform allows users to create fun, digitally-generated race day signs with tongue-in-cheek messages of motivation for marathoners, and for encouragement and support when cheering on family and friends. Users are encouraged to create their custom race day sign and share on their social networks.  Additionally, on race day, Asics will be surprising members of the crowd at the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon with selected printed signs from the generator along with markers in order to customize them for the marathoner they're cheering on.

Five to the Finish Line

Asics is giving fans the opportunity to experience one of the world's most important marathons through the eyes of five bloggers who have been selected to run the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon for Team Asics. Special online content on the brand's marathon hub chronicles their journey to the finish line as they tackle their training, overcome physical and emotional challenges, and eventually make it to New York City to run the big race.

#TrainRunSelfie Photo Contest

Leading up to race day, Asics wanted to not only connect with marathoners training for the big race, but also bring its involvement with the marathon to life to its entire audience – even those not quite yet ready to take on the 26.2 mile race. In order to curate user generated content around training tips, the #TrainRunSelfie contest was launched. Users can submit a selfie (or “shoefie”) of themselves on a training run, or showing off how they train, on Twitter and Instagram using the #TrainRunSelfie hashtag for the chance to win $170 in Asics gear.

#GirlsGoRunIt

In celebration of its new partnership with Girls on the Run – the national grassroots organization which teaches life skills to girls through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games – Asics is posing the question: “What have you learned about yourself while running?” From Oct. 29 through Nov. 1, the brand's digital community will be asked to respond with their answer on both Twitter and Instagram and tag #GirlsGoRunIt to help raise donations for Girls on the Run.  For each post using the hashtag on Instagram and Twitter, Asics America will donate $5, for a total donation of up to $26,200.

360 Degree Marketing Support

In support of the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon, Asics is planning a robust media buy across various marketing channels, including broadcast, out-of-home advertising (OOH), and digital. The broadcast buy will focus largely around Race Day support in New York City and OOH can be seen in high profile areas such as Time Warner Center and Times Square. The digital media buy will focus on high profile partners and apps such as Thrillist, Mashable, and the popular mobile app Waze, all showcasing Asics' “World's Biggest Selfie Stick.”

To learn more about Asics America and the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon, visit:
http://www.asicsamerica.com/nycm.