On (昂跑) has taken its marketing to the street with the launch of a China-based podcast. The On podcast (On昂跑品牌播客) launched on Xiaoyuzhou (小宇宙), China’s leading podcast app. The format works more like a running companion than a typical podcast. Yes, it features a host and a guest, but the two narrate a running route together, discussing the city setting, the nuances of the route, and even setting a pace.
In this way the episodes are highly localised. The first three episodes have all focused on the riverbanks of Shanghai, taking listeners on a lengthy running track that cuts through the most dramatic parts of the city. It’s not gone unnoticed. So far the three released episodes have amassed over 65,000 listens.
The podcast is something of a double down for On. Asia Pacific was its fastest-growing region in 2024, with sales more than doubling year-on-year for Q3. That turns the mainland into a high-priority market. On know they’ll need to do more than drop products and score the praise of influencers.
While short-video remains the dominant fitness channel, it is also heavily saturated. Podcasts, by contrast, are far less crowded yet increasingly popular among young urban professionals looking for focused, screen-free content. And so podcasting makes good sense: the format gives them a way to occupy the workout itself, rather than simply talking about it. They’ve put their brand in the ears of listeners right at the moment of effort.
The launch also extends On’s experience-first positioning into a new medium. The brand has traditionally leaned on run clubs, city activations and performance storytelling. Here, the experience is delivered when the user wants it, in a format with a far longer lifespan. If the format scales, we may see more local voices, more city-specific routes, and perhaps co-produced episodes with Chinese platforms.
This will all depend on whether the podcast is a hit. But On don’t mess about. Last time we wrote about them they’d refurbished a set of tennis courts. The marketing aim was longevity. There’s no reason to believe they’re going for anything less with this podcast.
