Competitively, not abusively. The Asics “Better Your Best” campaign created by 180 Amsterdam asks you to embrace the athletic quest for self-improvement that usually disappears from New Year’s resolution lists by mid-January. It’s encroaching on that “My Better is Better than Your Better” Nike sentiment from years past, but not enough to warrant the benign fury of the commenters. Winning against yourself is always less messy than whooping on others.

The commercial’s message can only be described as marathon running sessions inspired by zombie apocalypses inspired by Memento. However, the problem with bettering your best in a race against yourself is that you always lose–probably a fallacy Asics doesn’t want you to think about if you like the glass half-empty. Still, a viscerally powerful spot worth watching.

On a side note: there are six short films where international athletes like tennis player Gael Monfils and volleyballer Dragan Travica discuss ways they focus on continuously improving at their respective sports, but these don’t add much to the campaign. They’re full of athlete-speak cliches we’ve all heard a thousand times too many. Asics and 180 can still better their better for next time. Credits and one of the shorts after the jump.

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