If any brand is giving sportswear giants Nike and Adidas a run for their money at the moment it's Swiss running and apparel upstart, On.
Primarily known for their running shoes which feature the first patented cushioning system, CloudTec, they have made impressive strides in Asia. On surged 94% in Asian sales last quarter, and opened flagship stores in Tokyo while expanding into South Korea, Singapore, and India amid the post-Olympics running boom.
With some distinctive designs and smart collaborations, like a tennis-inspired sneaker collection developed with Roger Federer, the brand's strong product foundation has been amplified through smart and non-traditional marketing efforts, including community-led running clubs, hyper-local influencer partnerships, and premium digital storytelling on platforms like Douyin and Tmall.
But while On has been able to capitalise on the region's booming sportswear trend, can it turn this momentum into lasting love and loyalty from Asian consumers with their diverse tastes and expectations?
Campaign Asia-Pacific asked eight experts whether On's current momentum will be enough to build a lasting foothold in the Asian sportswear market.
Laura Agricola
Strategy director, SICKDOGWOLFMAN
On tapped a simple but powerful bias: people trust what their running mates rave about more than billboards. By dropping shoes into the right hands, they hacked social proof. Runners loved that it felt engineered, speciality stores loved that it felt like a connoisseur’s pick. So instead of blasting ads, they built hype through community and curiosity.
The Asian market loves a sharp underdog, and On feels like the ‘new tech brand’ of sneakers, clean, precise, and unburdened by decades of recycled slogans. That’s real cultural oxygen. But scaling kills cool fast. Nike and Adidas aren’t disappearing; On won’t eclipse them outright, but it can keep beating them culturally by owning the spaces the giants can’t touch: niche communities, design minimalism, and Swiss-precision credibility. The giants can outspend everyone, but they can’t fake that kind of fresh, cultural modernity.
On wins if it keeps its 'crafted cool' while going deeper into local scenes, run crews, micro-communities, and real-athlete stories. Turning momentum into loyalty means staying weird, not corporate. The danger is blending into the big-brand blur. If On protects its zig-when-others-zag DNA, it can build something lasting.
Sally Lawrence
Executive director, Media
Enigma
The opportunity for On does not lie in going directly up against Adidas and Nike. They won’t win on scale, supply chain maturity, legacy, or the sheer cultural dominance that these brands have. It’s also unlikely they will be in a position to outspend. Instead, On can be strategic in rivalling these brands in specific booming categories like running and athleisure.
On can be the go-to premium alternative, smaller in size but outsized in influence, loyalty, and cultural traction. They need to keep finding the niche and infiltrating that market, looking for opportunities where design, tech and lifestyle intersect. Their community-driven approach is unique, and their distinctive design allows them to deliver on both performance and fashion, which can give them an edge against competing brands.
On’s success depends on converting the early buzz into long-term loyalty, and to do this, they need to stay true to their community focus or deepen ties here, as well as broaden their product ecosystem and build a loyalty programme that makes consumers feel like they belong to something bigger.
Jacopo Pesavento
CEO, Branding Records
On’s explosive Asian growth is powered by a rare trifecta: premiumisation, cultural timing and precision marketing. The brand arrived just as Asia’s fitness culture matured and consumers began trading up for tech-driven, status-signalling products. On’s Swiss-engineered performance and minimalist aesthetic positioned it as the new luxury of movement, a sharp contrast to legacy sportswear narratives.
Marketing hasn’t just supported this rise; it has architected it. On built desire through scarcity, community and design-led storytelling rather than celebrity bombast. In Asia’s hyper-competitive market, that restraint reads as confidence. The result: a brand that feels both global and future-forward.
On’s opportunity in Asia lies in carving out a premium, design-led performance niche where neither Nike nor Adidas currently hold unshakeable dominance. Its Swiss engineering and modern aesthetic give it credibility with Asia’s urban, upwardly mobile consumers.
On’s outlook is strong, but sustaining it will require depth over speed: sharper localisation, stronger community ecosystems and disciplined retail expansion. The real threat isn’t copycats but specialist challengers like Norda, Kailas, and Altra. Can On turn momentum into loyalty? Yes, if they keep innovating, stay culturally tuned-in and build relevance that outlasts the next specialist darling.
Shufen Goh
President Asia Pacific, Mediasense
On’s premium pricing is intentional, reflecting how the brand positions itself: consumers are willing to pay for reliability and performance, and the technical advantages of the products give On real pricing power. The brand reinforces this value through its retail strategy, rarely discounting and offering immersive flagship stores, like in Singapore, where customers can see, touch, and try products firsthand, strengthening perceptions of quality.
Community building has also been a major driver for the brand, where the On Athletics Club connects runners globally, while local groups like the On Running Club Singapore offer coaching and shared experiences that turn customers into passionate advocates. This helps On position itself well as a lifestyle brand, not just a retail one.
Additionally, high-profile collaborations, such as the global Zendaya x On co-created Cloudzone Moon sneaker and capsule apparel, show how the influencer aspect can amplify desirability and reach.
As On continues to scale across APAC, smart investment in regional KOLs will be key to sustaining that momentum. On’s biggest opportunity lies in differentiation. It lies in not trying to be Nike or Adidas.
By focusing tightly on performance innovation, design credibility, and premium positioning, On can win in depth where giants pursue breadth. However, the challenge is scale. Expanding into lifestyle and apparel carries the risk of diluting its engineering-led story. Legacy players dominate distribution, budgets, and cultural presence, so On must expand strategically without softening its distinctiveness. Its potential does not rest on eclipsing these giants. Rather, its long-term success depends on remaining unmistakably On.
Tom Zhang
Associate
Partner of Prophet
While giants like Nike and Adidas excel at offering extremely broad product portfolios, they leave room for premium specialists. On has been remarkably consistent and disciplined in maintaining its price premium, offering virtually no discounts even during China’s largest shopping festivals. This reinforces its exclusivity and protects brand equity.
On’s focused approach to price positioning and product portfolio has fuelled its rapid ascent, but no brand can sustain such growth indefinitely. Maintaining momentum will require thoughtful expansion to broaden both physical availability and product range. However, as On deepens penetration across Asia, any expansion must be managed with care. Overextension risks diluting the clarity of its core of differentiated brand identity and equity.
As On scales, the allure of nicheness and 'badge value' will naturally diminish. To build durable loyalty, especially beyond running and tennis, the brand will need to embed itself with strong, culturally relevant meaning for Asian consumers to foster emotional connection that’s resilient to disruption.
Laura Mulcahy
Head of cultural practice, TRA
On is the ultimate anti-brand that has come of age at the right time. When On launched its first range, it led with an aggressive (but, over time iconic) design that made you take a second look. The CloudTec sole was visually weird, the Crocs of performance brands, but over time, this became its greatest asset, and as the die-hard hikers and trail runners slowly adopted and later testified to the feeling of the design, the brand captured the minds of runners. Elite running is a hard community to convince on claims alone—performance is tied to personal gain, and any change to an athlete's tool kit is highly considered. The brand did the ground-work earlier on with its marketing, showing up in niche running events and playing the long game over time.
But you can only be the anti-brand for so long before you become part of the establishment. If On wants to grow beyond its iconic sole, it needs to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation.
Right now, the brand is overlapping edgy design with its performance credentials successfully. The brand marketing and collaborations feel like they reading the room culturally- swinging between Elmo as an ambassador and Loewe lending its intelligent design credentials. Relevance all lies within that core performance customer- if it keeps showing up in the track meets and trail events that grew the brands credibility on a more local level, it can become more than the ‘challenger’ brand.
Jian Yi Lay
Group creative director, VaynerMedia APAC
Asia remains the dominant market for luxury and premium goods. On successfully commands this space due to a price point that sits higher than its mass-market competitors. China’s explosive growth in tennis culture is also driving the brand's popularity; Roger Federer, an On ambassador and early investor, has been highly active in the region, promoting both the brand and the sport. Additionally, the strategic use of Xiaohongshu has proven to be an effective marketing tool for reaching a fashion-savvy audience.
On's greatest opportunity lies in evolving beyond conventional sports performance into lifestyle categories. While legacy brands like Nike and Adidas are perceived to be losing their 'cool factor,' fashion-conscious Asian consumers are gravitating toward niche brands with curated offerings. Building a lasting presence requires becoming part of the cultural conversation. On’s collaborations with Loewe and PAF (Post Archive Faction) effectively demonstrate this cultural emphasis.
Looking ahead, On should maintain its 'niche premium' strategy. It is crucial that they do not expand so aggressively that they dilute the brand’s hype. A significant threat to remain vigilant against is the rise of 'Asian pride' and domestic competition. Asian players like Anta, Li-Ning, and Y-3 are performing exceptionally well, and it is only a matter of time before they introduce products that directly compete with On’s offerings.
Huiwen Tow
Head of strategy at VIRTUE Asia
On isn’t merely competing with Nike or Adidas, it’s creating a new lane at the intersection of sport and luxury. The opportunity is massive: Asian consumers want performance, design, and experience in one package, and On delivers.
The challenge, however, is the intensity and speed of competition in Asia. Brands can emerge, copy, and iterate on leading products in record time, think Xiaomi versus Apple. On’s current advantage - its combination of tech, engineering, design, and luxury positioning - is strong, but a nimble local player could quickly erode this differentiation if the brand isn’t continuously evolving and culturally embedded.
On’s opportunity in Asia is to operate where tech precision meets luxury serenity meets cultural belonging. It can build a world that feels part Apple Store (design and technological clarity), part Aman (elevated wellness and intentionality), and part members’ club (community, access, and identity). If On embraces this hybrid future: tech X luxury X wellness with cultural capital baked in, it moves beyond sportswear and becomes a lifestyle institution.
Source: Campaign Asia-Pacific
