ASICS vs Nike, both of these are big brands within the sports industry. They are mainly competitors when it comes to running shoes. However, they also compete in hiking shoes, sneakers, trail running shoes and many other types of sport shoes. Additionally, both of these brands sell sport clothing as well.
In this article we will take a look at the differences and resemblances between the companies and their products.
ASICS vs Nike brand comparison
Before comparing the different types of shoes let’s take a look at the differences between the brands in general. Let’s start with stating the obvious, Nike is quite a bit larger than ASICS. However, most people don’t know exactly how big of a difference there is between these brands, so let’s take a closer look.
Revenue
I don’t think anyone is surprised to see that Nike has a convincing lead here.
ASICS had a revenue of roughly 3.46 billion dollar in 2018 while Nike came in at 9.37 billion dollar at the end of 2018.
Nike is clearly leading in terms of revenue, but ASICS is by no means a small company in terms of revenue either. It might just look like that when compared to one of the most powerful brands in the world (currently #14 in terms of brand value).
Employees
Once again, I’m assuming nobody is blown away by the fact that Nike has more employees than ASICS. However, I must say that I was pretty surprised to see that Nike has almost 10 times the amount of employees.
When taking at look at where employees tend to be happier, Nike once again takes the lead. At least based upon the reviews that were given on www.glassdoor.com. Nike has an average rating of 3.9/5 while ASICS follows with a rating of 3.3/5.
Active countries
Once again, Nike has a huge lead over ASICS when it comes to countries where they are active in. Which means that they have at least 1 retail store in that specific country.
Even tough Nike makes most of its sales in North America & Western Europe (approximately 65%) it’s also clear that they really focus on worldwide brand establishment. ASICS seems the be more focused toward establishing their brand in certain parts of the world.
Retail stores
Even though Nike is active in a lot more countries the difference between the amount of total retail stores isn’t that big.
This tells us that ASICS has a very different strategy than Nike. ASICS targeting strategy is a lot more concentrated than Nike. Also, Nike has a lot more huge retail stores, whereas ASICS retail stores are mostly smaller stores.
Nike mission
Nike also states that the only requirement for being an athlete is having a body.
Mission:
“Our mission is what drives us to do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team and by making a positive impact in communities where we live and work.”
Even though Nike is often linked with fashion, the main focus is clearly sport and innovation.
They really try to be pioneers in terms of creating new and innovative products that can have a positive impact on communities. Even though they are also very present in the sneaker market and often create new trends.
More information about Nike’s mission can found on their official website.
ASICS mission
Mission:
“ASICS, an acronym derived from the Latin phrase, Anima Sana In Corpore Sano – a sound mind in a sound body. Staying true to the philosophy by which it was founded, every ASICS innovation, every concept, every idea is intended to create the best product. Our mission is to become the number one brand for the sports enthusiast. To accomplish this, we pledge to continue to make the best product; striving to build upon our technological advances and pushing the limits on what we can learn from the body and its needs in athletic gear. We pledge to bring harmony to the body and soul.”
What’s really remarkable is that ASICS is a lot more spiritual than Nike. With very vague sentences like:
“We pledge to bring harmony to the body and soul”.
But at the same time they are very clear about their actual goals as well:
“Our mission is to become the number one brand for the sports enthusiast”.
Finally, I think one of the most important things to remember about their mission statement is that everything they do is done with the intention of creating the best products.
More information about ASICS mission statement can be found on their official website.
Nike vs ASICS origin
Let’s take a quick look at the different origins of the 2 companies:
Nike was founded by 2 Americans in 1964. The name Nike comes from the Greek goddess of victory. Initially the company was named Blue Ribbon Sports.
ASICS on the other hand has an entirely different origin. It was founded in 1949 and it finds its origin in Japan. ASICS started out as a basketball shoe company, but soon after they started creating multiple different types of sports shoes.
ASICS running shoes vs Nike running shoes
I know a lot of people are mainly interested in the differences between the actual running shoes: ASICS vs Nike.
The most obvious differences between Nike and ASICS running shoes is that ASICS is more conservative while Nike tends to be more experimental. Also, Nike is more concerned with the looks of their shoes than ASICS. Not only their sneakers, but also their running shoes apparently need to look nice.
Another pretty notable difference is that ASICS almost always uses gel for cushioning. While Nike is more experimental and tries out different things, they still seem to rely mostly on air. Certain runners prefer gel cushioning, others prefer air cushioning. However, there are also a lot of runners who claim that they don’t really feel the difference.
I know that most runners with wide feet tend to prefer ASICS because they have a lot of models that are optimized for people with wider feet. Note that this doesn’t mean that every single Nike shoe runs small, but ASICS seems to put more focus on wide footed people.
The sizing of ASICS running shoes is comparable with Nike running shoes. The only difference is that ASICS tend to run slightly wider than Nikes.
When it comes to pricing, ASICS running shoes will usually be cheaper than similar Nike running shoes. So for runners on a budget I would lean towards ASICS more than Nike.
All that being said, it’s pretty hard to make generalized statements. Both brands have tons of different running shoes.
What’s really remarkable as well is that almost all list that cover the “best running shoes” will have both ASICS and Nike shoes included. It’s pretty safe to say that both brands are huge authorities within the “running shoes” niche.
Top picks
Every runner has different needs and preferences. Therefore, it’s pretty hard to select a best option for each brand. However, I will feature the one running shoe from each brand that has the best average rating at the time of writing just to give you an idea.
Nike Men's Flex Experience RN
ASICS Gel Kayano 25
ASICS hiking shoes vs Nike hiking shoes
Nor ASICS nor Nike can really be considered authorities within the hiking shoes niche. Especially when compared to brands like Merrel, Keen, Salomon, Columbia… ASICS & Nike are not really competitors.
Real hiking boots have not been made by either company. However, both ASICS and Nike have made some great trail running shoes and some of these shoes are often used as hiking shoes.
In fact, both brands were mentioned in another article on HikeHeaven called best trail running shoes for hiking. That said, none of the two brands got mentioned on the list of best cheap hiking shoes.
If you prefer a traditional hiking boot you should not bother with Nike or ASICS. However, if you prefer more modern alternatives like lightweight trail runners, both ASICS and Nike have some great options for you.
ASICS sneakers vs Nike sneakers
As Nike has always been more up to date with the latest fashion trends – or even “inventing” some of the newest trends as well, it should be no surprise that Nike truly is king when it comes to sneakers.
ASICS on the other hand has always focused on sport shoes and they have not really been focusing on the sneaker market.
So, if you are looking for a trendy and stylish new sneaker, you shouldn’t bother taking a look at ASICS , they won’t have what you are looking for.
ASICS trail running shoes vs Nike trail running shoes
Another product that both brands have been very actively involved with are trail runners.
For those of you who are not sure what trail running is. It’s like regular running, only on a trail instead of on a road (who would have guessed). ASICS even created their own blog post about the differences between road running and trail running.
These trails can be easy, but they can also become very hard/steep/technical. Adapted and specialized footwear is highly recommended for this type of activity, enter “trail runners”.
Not only are trail runners very popular among runners, but they have also caught the attention of many hikers. Since these shoes are optimized for trails and they are super light this makes a lot of sense for hikers who are looking for lighter alternatives to traditional hiking boots.
Once again, ASICS relies on their gel cushioning for their trail running shoes. In fact the “Asics Gel Venture 6” is one of the best-rated trail running shoes of all time.
Top picks
Let’s take a look at the best-rated/most-popular trail running shoe of each brand.
ASICS Gel Venture 6
Nike Air Zoom Wildhorse 5
ASICS vs Nike monthly searches
Let’s end the article with some data. Data is fun? right?
…
I will select some popular search terms like “running shoes” in combination with the brand name. For each search term I will then provide the estimated monthly searches. This is a good way to compare the (online) interest in each product for each brand.
Data is collected using keywordseverywhere – this is a tool that makes estimations, it’s not actual data.
Sneakers
As I already mentioned, ASICS never really focused on sneakers (however, they do produce them). ASICS really focuses on solid sport shoes.
Nike -in essence- also focuses on sport shoes. That being said, they are really a lot more concerned about style and fashion than ASICS. Therefore, it’s no real surprise that Nike is dominating the sneakers market and ASICS is almost non-existent.
Running shoes
There are still a lot more monthly searches for “Nike running shoes” than for “ASICS running shoes”. However, the difference is a lot smaller than for the sneakers. This makes perfect sense because both brands really try to compete for running shoes.
Trail running shoes
This is where it gets interesting. “Trail running shoes” is a lot more specific than “Running shoes”, so it’s pretty normal that the search volume goes down.
However, we also see that the difference between Nike and ASICS becomes smaller when we the search term gets more specific.
This is definitely – partly – due to branding. Everybody knows the brand Nike, but not everybody knows ASICS. People who are looking for more specific search terms will usually have more knowledge about the market. I guess there are plenty of people who look for “running shoes” who have never heard of ASICS, but most people who look for “trail running shoes” will have heard about ASICS.
Hiking shoes
Finally, ASICS takes a win. Nike immediately pops in our heads when we think about running shoes, sneakers, soccer shoes, etc. However, when looking for good hiking shoes Nike doesn’t really come to mind…
ASICS doesn’t really focus on “hiking” shoes either. However, they do produce some very good and popular trail running shoes that are often used by hikers as well.
Shoes
A very general search term like “nike shoes”/”ASICS shoes” makes it clear that Nike is simply a bigger company/brand than ASICS.
T-shirts
We haven’t really been talking about clothing. Both brands produce not only sport shoes, but also sport clothing.
It’s pretty clear that Nike is once again the winner when it comes to clothes. People are not really looking for ASICS branded clothes
Pants
This verifies previous statement.
Conclusion
It’s pretty clear that Nike is definitely the bigger company of the two, especially in terms of brand value.
Not only are they far more present when it comes to sport shoes, they also make sneakers and are very popular when it comes to sports apparel.
The biggest resemblance is that both brand really focus on creating good sport shoes. However, it seems that ASICS focuses more on performance and budget whereas Nike tends to focus on performance and design.
Also, ASICS seems to be more conservative and Nike seems to be more innovative. ASICS shoes are very reliable and generally cheaper than the Nike alternative.
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