MAP Active wins Retail Asia Awards for driving HOKA brand awareness

It has devised a plan that integrates marketing, distribution expansion, and customer experience to drive growth for the brand.

Lifestyle retailer MAP Active received the Footwear Retailer of the Year - Indonesia category win at the coveted Retail Asia Awards for its success in fuelling the potential of emerging sports retail brand HOKA in the country.

Since the pandemic, MAP Active has initiated a significant shift to retail, to accelerate and broaden HOKA's reach amongst Indonesian consumers amidst a limited market presence. This strategic project aims to extend the brand's appeal to diverse categories of runners and a wider audience of active lifestyle enthusiasts.

MAP Active introduced the Mono Brand retail concept intending to deliver a unique HOKA experience to consumers. As part of this process, the lifestyle retailer has selected optimal locations for these stores, placing great considerations on target consumer segments, foot traffic, and catchment areas. The stores’ meticulous space planning and design have also adhered to HOKA's global retail concept guidelines. Prasanna Bhaskar, General Manager HOKA APAC highlighted “What makes MAP’s execution of the retail concept unique is the team of run advisors in the stores who are trained to recommend the best fitting shoe to consumers, using their individual foot profile, procured with a quick 3D foot scan. The store serves as a community hub where customers can discover and register for the HOKA Run Club weekly or fortnightly running events”

Currently, HOKA Indonesia also hosts one of the largest run clubs for the brand in Southeast Asia, engaging the community through virtual training and physical weekly training and run sessions. This initiative also features inspirational master classes hosted by HOKA athletes.

MAP has adopted a comprehensive approach, focusing on driving awareness, generating interest, and ultimately stimulating greater demand for the brand through targeted marketing initiatives. Amongst the initiatives it has implemented include an integrated media strategy showcasing the HOKA brand campaign “Fly Human Fly,” promoting the joy of movement whilst highlighting seasonal innovations.

MAP Active has utilised digital out-of-home advertising, paid digital ads on platforms such as Meta and Google, as well as placements in malls and public MRT stations to maintain consistent consumer exposure year-round.

By December 2023, four HOKA stores in Jakarta and Surabaya were opened. The consumer-driven marketing initiatives also doubled brand awareness and interest five times in the last year.

Retail Asia Awards honours companies that have recently launched innovative retail projects or initiatives, as well as industry leaders that have propelled their respective brands to maintain a competitive edge.

The Retail Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's exceptional products or initiatives in the Retail industry, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].