ADIDAS ORIGINALS

01 — Project details

Adidas Originals 60^th-anniversary campaign: Celebrate Originality. Brand & Product ReLaunch of the signature Superstar shoe.

"House Party", a global communication concept brilliantly conceived by the wizards at Sid Lee, gave credence to the iconic heritage of the brand's trefoil, a congruent messaging strategy, and a brilliant fusion of the brand's dual ID of style and sport. The campaign concept was to define what being an "original" stands for, and inspire a new generation of icons, ambassadors, advocates, and lifelong customers.

02 — My role

While Associate Digital Media Director at Carat USA,

I led a team in creating, activating, and measuring all digital media campaigns for various integrated account teams, which included adidas, Taylor-Made Golf, Tourism Australia, New Line Cinema, Jenny Craig, among others. "Celebrate Originality-House Party" was a massive undertaking. Brand Marketing, Creative, and Media occasionally reach and find the intersecting groove in which planning, execution, and performance are in total harmony. Having directed digital media strategy, planning, and buying on a bevy of adidas brand and product campaigns during my tenure, this campaign is in my top 3.

03 — Campaign Goals & Challenges

As with all global campaigns with so much at stake, there are daunting layers of global-to-regional market distillation before we can adapt a media strategy for the U.S. market. The "House Party" campaign's overarching objective was to reignite awareness of the cultural heritage adidas is recognized for while revamping the trefoil branded footwear and apparel. The classic Superstar shoe was front and center as the hero of the iconic line of footwear and apparel products. The crucial challenge was keeping brand marketing, media, and creative teams working as a collaborative whole.

The Invitation

Style and Sport Performance icons like the indelible Kevin Garnett triggered the invitation stage of the campaign.

House Party

The celebration was on, and it definitely was the ad campaign to be a part of that year. Adidas effectively reminded fans that the Originals trefoil is both classic and as fashionable as ever as a sporty, hippy hop, rebellious, ecentric, libertarian brand.

04 — Campaign Performance Summary

The brand typically has one major global brand campaign every year.

Celebrate Originality was a unique concept because of the 60th anniversary of the adidas Originals trefoil brand creation. The campaign had a lofty but plausible objective: to regenerate with thousands of new product SKUs. The Superstar shoe was the hero, but footwear and apparel sales all benefited from the awareness and engagement generated. The media strategy targeted a concentric segment, with young adults as the first ring. Music was the primary media category connecting the younger demo with the campaign. TV, Print, Streaming Music, and Digital media investment was heavily weighted to this first ring of younglings, and it paid off, funneling over a million new customers into the DTC and Big Box channel sales databases. Moreover, the campaign revitalized the trefoil as a brand ID that could thread style and sports performance thereafter.