An ambassador contract for a Samoyed
On 12 May 2025, during Mental Health Awareness Week, ASICS announces that it has signed Felix, a Samoyed, as a brand ambassador. The release headline reads "Four legs, one mission: ASICS signs a dog to inspire the world to move for body and mind", and the standfirst states that ASICS "becomes the first sports brand to sign a dog to its ambassador roster, recognising dogs as the original exercise influencers who motivate millions to move for body and mind".1
The claim to a first is the company's own, and it is the framing the release leads with. What the signing attaches the brand to is a behaviour rather than a person: the release is built on the argument that dogs are the reason a large number of people leave the house.
The study behind it
The signing arrives with commissioned research. ASICS states that the Mind's Best Friend research is conducted in February 2025, surveying 28,000 people across 14 markets, with each market sample nationally representative by age and gender and split evenly between 1,000 dog owners and 1,000 non owners. Professor Brendon Stubbs of King's College London is named as the academic lead.1
The market list ASICS publishes names Australia twice and runs to thirteen unique countries against a stated fourteen.1 Dog owners score 61 out of 100 on the ASICS State of Mind index against 51 for non owners. Sixty-five per cent of owners say their dog is their primary motivator to move, ahead of family, celebrities and personal trainers. Eighty-four per cent report a mood boost after moving with their dog, 79 per cent report reduced stress and 83 per cent report increased happiness. Owners are 31 per cent more likely to meet physical activity guidelines and average 210 minutes of exercise a week.1
Stubbs puts the finding in one line: "ASICS' latest research reveals just how significantly dogs influence our physical activity levels and overall State of Mind. The research shows dog owners are far more likely to meet recommended physical activity guidelines and have a much higher mood."1
The agency's own awards submission gives a market level version of the same finding: 69 per cent of people in the United Kingdom say their dog is their top motivator to get moving.2
Source: ASICS Youtube
The mechanic
The campaign does not stop at one dog. ASICS opens public nominations for further official Mind's Best Friend ambassadors, with selected dogs receiving a branded kit and their owners a pair of shoes. A charity mechanic runs alongside it: every public post using the campaign hashtag before 12 July 2025 generates five pounds, euros or dollars for mental health organisations, named as Mind in the United Kingdom, Mind Us in the Netherlands and NAMI in the United States.1
Gary Raucher, Global Head of Marketing at ASICS, ties it back to the company name: "No one motivates us to move for body and mind more than our canine friends. Every day around the world, dogs motivate us to lace up, get out, and move. Our mission at ASICS is to encourage as many people as possible to feel the uplifting power of movement."1
Nikola Djordjevic, Head of Marketing at ASICS Middle East, describes how the regional rollout works: "We believe the most meaningful way to convey our message is through digital communication, where we can connect directly and authentically with our audience", and the regional aim is "to inspire people to share their proud moments on social media with their Mind's Best Friend, their dogs".3
He also states what the campaign is for regionally: "By spotlighting these everyday pet heroes, we want to highlight their powerful role in supporting our mental and physical wellbeing. At ASICS, we believe that everyday movement is essential to good health, and we're committed to inspiring people across the region to move more in whatever way feels right for them."3
Where the signing sits
On the agency's own awards submission the work is credited to Golin and recorded as taking Gold at The Drum Awards for PR in the Sports, Wellness and Fitness category.2
The signing applies an instrument the company already has. The ASICS State of Mind index scores a population out of 100, and Mind's Best Friend runs it on dog owners against non owners, reporting a ten point gap.1
What the contract is attached to is a daily obligation that 65 per cent of the dog owners surveyed name as their primary motivator to move, ahead of family, celebrities and personal trainers.1
Written with AI assistance, edited by a human. Find out more about our Use of AI.
1. ASICS, "Four legs, one mission: ASICS signs a dog to inspire the world to move for body and mind", EMEA newsroom, 12 May 2025, for the signing of Felix the Samoyed during Mental Health Awareness Week, the quoted headline and standfirst, the research methodology of 28,000 respondents across 14 markets conducted in February 2025 with Professor Brendon Stubbs of King's College London, the published market list, all the reported figures, the public nomination mechanic, the charity mechanic and its 12 July 2025 deadline, and the quotations from Professor Stubbs and from Gary Raucher, Global Head of Marketing at ASICS. https://news-emea.asics.com/latest-news/four-legs--one-mission--asics-signs-a-dog-to-inspire-the-world-to-move-for-body-and-mind/s/9a18f9b9-1c22-4399-be35-56908afb9699
2. The Drum, awards case study on the Mind's Best Friend campaign, off whitelist and used for corroboration only, for the agency credit to Golin, for the Gold at The Drum Awards for PR in the Sports, Wellness and Fitness category, and for the United Kingdom figure of 69 per cent naming a dog as the top motivator to get moving. https://www.thedrum.com/awards-case-study/why-asics-mind-s-best-friend-campaign-with-dog-felix-redefined-mental-health-advocacy
3. Campaign Middle East, "ASICS picks dog influencer Felix the Samoyed as ambassador", 13 May 2025, for the quotations from Nikola Djordjevic, Head of Marketing at ASICS Middle East, on digital communication and on the regional aim. https://campaignme.com/asics-picks-dog-influencer-felix-the-samoyed-as-ambassador/
