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Girona-based Athletic Affair, now in its fourth year, has already won a raft of business with big-name brands across the cycling and running industry, as well as working for leading events in the space.
Here, co-founder Xavi Guell talks about the next big step the agency is taking. No small goals. Just bold vision, and impressive execution.
So, Xavi, it doesn’t seem that long ago we celebrated the third anniversary of Athletic Affair, yet, in the time between then and now, so much has happened. Where do we start?
Let’s start with the big news. We’re opening a second Athletic Affair office.
Before anyone gets too excited, I should state that my co-founder, Jordi, will remain in Europe – which gives some clue as to the big adventure ahead.
Our second office will be located in Singapore. And this is no satellite office. My partner and I will be moving, packing up life and relocating. A full-time thing. No half measures.
When, as a business, we first started mentioning this to existing clients, the reaction was certainly interesting. Pretty much every one of them asked me, ‘What are we missing? What are we not seeing that you are?’
I’d say that’s a strong reflection on the partnerships we have built or the relationships we have with our clients. There is a really strong connection, and that reflects in the trust they place in us.
We’ve chatted a bunch over the past 2 or so years, and it was certainly interesting to see Athletic Affair hosting events in Southeast Asia over the past 12 months.
Now that the news is public, what can you tell us about your plans?
Where to start! With the business structure, Jordi will remain here in Europe, and I will move to Asia.
I will still be taking care of marketing, globally, and PR, but I want to be 100% sure that all the decisions that we are making in Asia are made with firsthand information.
Talking about opportunities – and I see so many of them – brands have been extremely interested.
The reason to move there is to have this local sensibility. At the last Southeast Asia-based marketing activation for Gobik, we had more than 150 people. So when I’m talking with brands, I say that my network there is equal to the Girona network.
I feel super strong if I need to do something, but that is because I spend time there. I have always had the feeling that in this market, the brands were selling, but nobody was listening.
Many brands simply have a distributor, and that relationship is focused on selling.
Yes, that’s an essential part of the ecosystem, but I’d say our approach is that we are building the same emotional connections that we have in Europe, in Girona. The success is there for all to see. The value is felt by our clients, our partners – the businesses we work with.
Suppose a business is solely focused on selling. In that case, it isn’t going to be interested or engaged in brand building, in creating connections, or building relationships, turning an audience into a tribe.
We build those local connections, creating those relationships, making sure that local markets feel close and valued.
This works on a global level as well. When we are shooting content for campaigns, having a Western audience introduced to Southeast Asian ride culture and destinations is a massive step into the unknown, into the new, for an audience that’s looking for ‘where next’.
Now we have local brand ambassador relationships. We have connections in the hospitality industry. We can bring the founders and CEO’s of our clients to Southeast Asia – which they get very inquisitive about – and introduce them to our local fans. Local brand fans get that kind of experience from nobody else.
East meets West – on a bike.
Shared passion. Deep connections. Amazing experiences.
Now that’s how we, as an agency, have built to this point in Europe. And over the last 12 months, that’s the work I’ve been putting into getting to this point with Southeast Asia.
Compare this approach with saying you have a local market distributor in the Southeast Asia market. It’s pretty clear why we have our existing clients asking when they can visit, and what we are suggesting as the course of action for their growth in the region.
All the usual metrics are used to measure success: Awareness. Engagement. Sales. But we add relationship value across each of these – to really amplify our impact, and those of the brands we work with and for.
How do you see being based there full-time, relocating and setting up a new life there, impacting your conversations with brands and existing clients?
Let me answer that like this.
I need my colleagues in the industry in Europe to understand on a more personal level – to show what is going on in the Philippines, what is going on in Taiwan, what is going on in Singapore, not just from a business perspective, but from a human behaviour perspective. In business speak, this is ‘localisation’ – where smart organisations don’t just arrive in a new territory and do exactly what they did in Europe and think this will have the same outcomes.
It won’t.
How could it?
In these Southeast Asian markets, cycling and running are really different.
Sure, we have some similarities, but we have some different approaches, and one of the things I wanted to personally show to the world is that, yeah, cycling is universal – but that doesn’t mean it’s equal in terms of everyone doing the same cycling. So, cycling culture is different. That doesn’t mean it’s worse or better. Different flavours. Common themes. New experiences. That’s what it is.
So, the riding you can do in Singapore is different from what you can do in Manila, and it’s different from what you can do in Girona and Andorra. However, for me, the common element is that I’m making those friendships around the world through cycling.
We already know how valued we are for making the trip, making the commitment, meeting local cycling communities, forming ambassador relationships – investing time and effort to build mutually respected and valued connections.
You mentioned taking people from the brands you work with to meet the riders in these countries, to meet the people buying into their brands, and getting out to ride. How do you see that expanding?
I think in the initial years, more people from Southeast Asian markets, as well as China, will come here, but I also have this feeling that people from Europe will start getting inquisitive and explore there. Let’s be honest here: the cycling in Taiwan is incredible, Korea is amazing, the Philippines and gravel is f****** crazy.
