ADIDAS ~ WORLD CUP

01 — Project details

World Cup 2010 Brand Campaign and Product Launch of the F50 adizero boot & Jabulani Ball

The relationship between FIFA and adidas dates back more than 50 years. Since 1970, adidas has supplied the official match ball for all FIFA World Cup™ matches. The World Cup arrives like a category 4 hurricane every four years, enlightening the global stage. 2010 was a year when the dominant Lionel Messi was (still is) a leading global ambassador for the brand. All we had to do was put a new boot on him and that product would sell out globally. For this campaign, he was but one hero among a roster of otherworldly footballers. The new F50 adizero kicked off a new product brand line that is still going today.

02 — My Role

As Carat USA's Associate Digital Media Director, and as Carat was the AOR for adidas globally, I was digital lead within the integrated account team, responsible for all digital media budget tracking, planning, buying, and performance measurement for campaigns targeting the U.S. market. This required extensive management at every point in the media, creative strategy, and tactical planning process. I reported to Carat's executive director, Paul Santello, and group director, Brian Mathena. I had a team of approximately twelve digital supervisors, planners, and specialists reporting directly to me.

03 — Campaign Goals & Challenges

There is no greater platform than the World Cup for promoting the beautiful game and the clubs and players that a global icon like adidas sponsors to campaign for their products. The competition is fierce as adidas bids for the rights to an asset like the great Lionel Messi. The brand goes through a painstaking process to be the lead sponsor and wants to make the biggest splash possible. The initial reviews of the adidas ball were mixed, and the ball created some controversy. Global football fans are notoriously critical of every aspect of the glorious game, so it was not surprising, but from the point the World Cup started, we had our hands full.

04 — Campaign Performance Summary

The brand invests huge every four years as the World Cup roars to life, globally.

As a lifelong soccer player, it was the most exciting period of my tenure as their director of digital media. The brand's origin story is rooted in global football. That heritage was effectively woven into the campaign, expressing the grassroots creation of the brand by founder, Adi Dassler.

The campaign arc effectively aligned with the product story of the Jubalani ball's creation, expressed in videos that delved into the ball's design inspiration and, of course, the on-field play as the ball was featured in every game played throughout the cup.

The F50 adizero product story was threaded into a demonstrative flight of on-air and online video featuring the boot's "Lighter/Faster" messaging juxtaposed with the breakneck moves of Messi's gameplay.

The boot surpassed unit sales online and in-store and led all unit sales for the global football vertical. The ball itself received mixed reviews, and while it sold well during the cup, did not reach the goals set by the campaign.