The Green 001 shoe is itself a success in eco friendly design. The shoe body, insoles and shoelaces use natural eco-friendly materials such as paper materials and better cottons.The “Green 001″ also comes with a unique shoebox that showcases a new logo and the slogan “ONLY ONE EARTH.”  There are pictures of endangered animals on the bottom of the box. In addition, a picture of  Maathai, a Kenyan environmental activist and winner of the Nobel Peace prize, is printed on the box. Yup, you get it, this is one GREEN shoe.

As Nike gears up for Shanghai’s 2009 human race a year later, one can’t help but notice that almost all of the main sources for promoting this campaign through SNS have been blocked.

Whereas in the UK or US a Youtube group or a Twitter update about a promotional event may still be the most impactful way of reaching your audience, the tools of interaction with Chinese youth are still changing. This is warning to companies who are lazy in their approaches when communicating to Chinese youth. Brands must always remain aware of changing marketing channels, particularly as relates to Chinese youth who are keen consumers of social media sites. A good example of this is the recent news that popular social networking site Xiaonei is to rebrand itself at Renren.

There should be no complacency in marketing strategy towards Chinese youth.

Nike's Human Race Warm-up 8/8 6.30am@Jiangwan Stadium, Shanghai

Chinese youth set the pace but enoVate can tell you where they’re heading, and how best to avoid the hurdles of changing market race.

如果说，清晨跑步的基本上是老年人的话，那夜跑则是年轻人的天下。
If we say, early morning running is essentially for old people, then night running is a world for young people.

‘Night running groups’ [夜跑团] are small groups of young Chinese men and women for whom running is a method of stress relief and social engagement. These groups also have a strong internet presence, particularly among local QQ groups, but also on numerous local BBS. The emphasis is on group activity and meeting new people, often internet friends whom they can now meet under the context of ‘night running’.

The new phenomenon appeals on numerous levels, as a method to meet others, get fit, relieve work/study tension, save money on gym membership, and also purely by its new, novelty and cool factor. One BBS user comments:

夜跑这种说法，廷时尚的.
This term night running, is very fashionable.

Night running is indicative of the constrained lifestyle that many young people live. Early starts followed by long days spent at work or studying mean time to socialise and exercise is limited; night running combines both.

So far, Li Ning is the only brand in China who has taken notice of this movement, hosting a large scale event in Beijing’s Chaoyang park. The event was not only staged at night but also featured music performances and numerous prize giveaways.

TV coverage of Li Ning’s night running event

Night running is based as much around social interaction as it is around exercise, so group interaction is of vital importance. Route is also key, and locations are published online, so guerrilla marketing is an easy option. Despite being a group activity, there is no spirit of competition, in fact ‘night running’ is a means to escape the pressures of work and studying, so any added pressures of competition are unwelcome.

Nowadays, when asked about running, many Chinese youth will say they have, “No time”. But the situation is not exactly what they say. The fact may be running is just kind of boring and less attractive as other sports: basketball, swimming, for instance. Despite the fact that running may be one of the most effective methods of exercising.

For me, running is not so attractive indeed. I really think it does help to form a healthy condition. However, I just have no time to do it.

The question many brands would like to know is, “How can running catch young peoples’ eyes?”  I feel if running is paired with music, things will become better. In fact, most young people like listening to different sorts of music when they are doing other things.

Today more youth in China have their freedom to choose a pet as their family members, so using this as motivation for running is a good idea. Personally if I had a big American Eskimo Dog, for example I would enjoy running with my lovely dog. It’s so cool!

The next point is the environment. I feel If I want to go running I will choose places like Century Park or YanZhong Garden because the levels of oxygen and low noise levels make these places ideal for running.

Last but not least, I feel that young people all like making friends. A great way to encourage running could be to establish running clubs only for the youth. That makes running change from the individual to groups which makes running fun and exciting.

A User Submitted Viral Video

For the past couple of years Adidas has endeavoured to build the popularity of running in China. In 2007 it launched its ‘funrun running community’, with the aim of bringing together young people who shared a passion for running. The website was massively successful, with users not only connecting with fellow runners from around China but also creating and uploading their own content (e.g. videos) to help enrich the online community.

Despite this successful campaign, Adidas were unable to emerge as leaders in the running market and now face stiff competition from local brands such as Li Ning and Anta.

Although not on the scale of the previous funrun.cn campaign, Adidas have remained a presence in the market with their ‘gepaoqile’ [pleasure in each run] website. This time Adidas have used a modest platform on Baidu.com to house their ‘funrun’ community, making use of Baidu’s popular question and answer interface. Enquiries by members such as, “What are the disadvantages of wearing a leg strap when running?” receive answers from both community members and Adidas running experts.

Users also comment on the monthly topic, this month’s being “reasons you like running”. One member posts:

I like running because it’s pursuing my opponents;
I like running because I can bravely move towards my goals;
I like running because it can please body and mind;
I like running because I can temporarily cast off worries.

Music for the sole

As a means of better connecting with youth, Adidas instigated a ‘funrun music’ competion via their online community. Participants were invited to compile a playlist of their favourite running music along with a short piece describing their selection in relation to running. Prizes were awarded to those whose songs selection and writing topped a Baidu ranking system based upon user feedback. Winners received various Adidas merchandise, ranging from sneakers to t-shirts.

As regards user’s choice of music, there seemed to be a strong emphasis on lyrical content over tempo or rhythm of the music. One user justifies here choice of ‘Starlight’ by Taiwanese pop group S.H.E, quoting the encouraging lyrics and saying: “by relying on this kind or bravery and stamina these three girls can have an undaunted path, the fearless [nature] of the song makes one’s blood boil with excitement.”

S.H.E. – Starlight

Although the competition was about running the most popular playlists were still comprised largely of slow/mid tempo ballads and love songs. This best serves as a reminder to brands that pop music still reigns supreme amongst Chinese youth, regardless of context or purpose. Music, not necessarily idols or musicians, can’t be used as a  definite indicator of lifestyle or interests amongst Chinese youth.

New Balance is hoping to change this through a country wide campaign called 足够爱, which roughly translates to, “Love your feet”. This campaign centers on runners in China uploading their best “love of running” story to New Balance’s website. People then have the opportunity to vote for their favorites. The top 88 participants (88 represents good luck and fortune in Chinese and also the number of functions in New Balance shoes) will be selected to participate in the Hong Kong International Marathon in 2010.

To support this campaign, New Balance holds weekly running events throughout China, encouraging young and old to find their passion to run. Here is a list of the events, held every Saturday:

• Century Park, Shanghai, 7am-9am
• West Lake Su Ti, Hangzhou 7am-9am
• Xuan Wu Lake, Nanjing 7am-9am
• Olympic Forest Park, Beijing 9am-10:30am

At each event, New Balance representatives offer free prizes and professional running advice.

Many of the stories on the New Balance website talk about the running “spirit” and the reward running gives the individual.

One user posts, “Running is just like the water and air to, I love it!”

Another writes, “I still remember my first marathon, I regard it as a moment of glory in my life.”

A young runner by the name of Jinzhi Kai shares his story as inspiration for other young runners in China: “I have been running since the age of 7. When I was 18, I severely injured my ankle and the doctor said I may never run again. But I feel a guiding spirit helped me overcome this injury and now I will be attending the New Balance Marathon in 2010.”

It’s stories like these that attempt to attract a more Chinese feeling of spirit and love to encourage running, rather than focusing primarily on the sport and athletic aspect. New Balance’s slogan in China translates to, “For every step you run, you will gain a huge step in spirit!”

We will continue tracking New Balance’s success with this marketing strategy, particularly it’s success with Chinese youth along with other running events in China.

While the group started abroad, the Hash House Harriers is growing in China. Hash House Harriers is a running organization with groups around China. Races (or “hashes”) take place weekly in remote parks. Usually a few members arrive early and lay a trail in chalk before the other runners get there. The rest of the group then tries to follow the trail in a race to the finish. Let’s keep the explanation enticingly simple: hashing can come in many forms and each group maintains its own personality but races remain adventurous and full of surprises!

This author recently participated in a Hash in Guangdong and noticed an increase in young Chinese runners. Hopefully young Chinese continue to come out. Here are some pictures from Haikou’s group that attest to the kind of trails runners will encounter: haikou’s hash.

We continue to see similar events pop up around China. A hash is just another way for young Chinese to get out of the house and meet new friends. Night runs, Lining’s “iRun out of the line,” and even some overseas travel runs are just a few more examples of young Chinese people using running not just to keep in shape but also to meet new people and experience new places.

For more information, check out Lining’s great site, Lining’s iRun, and play their new Hash Game!

This week at enoVate we will be diving feet first into the sport of running and its relation to youth culture. A few of the topics among many that we will be discussing related to Chinese youth and running include:

• Popular running brands among Chinese youth.
• Running events promoting running in China.
• Youth perceptions of running in China.
• Lifestyle and Running among Chinese Youth.

Stay posted to the enoVation labs for daily content related to running and Chinese youth!