Dive Brief:
- Adidas is entering the next phase of its latest global brand campaign with an effort focused on the pressures athletes experience on the sidelines and the people who inspire them to overcome self-doubt, according to a press release.
- A series of new videos show star athletes including Aitana Bonmatí, Aliyah Boston, Anthony Edwards, Lamine Yamal and Trinity Rodman, as well as amateurs, as they push through adversity with the aid of mentors who help them believe in themselves. Out-of-home, digital, social media and in-store activations support the film creative.
- In addition, the sportswear marketer worked with behavioral scientists to develop a Sideline Essentials program promoting positive behaviors that keep people engaged in sport. Research commissioned by Adidas found that four in five amateur athletes report encountering unhelpful behavior on the sidelines.
Dive Insight:
Adidas is building on a “You Got This” global brand campaign launched last year with marketing that addresses high-pressure sideline environments and a program that attempts to provide more productive alternatives. The marketer joins others in the sportswear category in taking a closer look at the mental and physical toll aspiring athletes can experience as they try to keep pace and level up their game. Adidas is rolling out the effort just days after chief rival Nike made a splash during its first Super Bowl appearance in nearly three decades with a spot championing women in sport.
Adidas’ hero video, “We All Need Someone To Make Us Believe,” depicts a range of athletes, from swimmers to football players, as they encounter moments of self-doubt and exhaustion, only to be lifted up by an inspiring figure, whether that’s a teammate, family member or spotter at the gym. The company will next run a series of films profiling individual athlete stories, all set to The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Sticking with You.” A roster of high-profile ambassadors feature in the work, including basketball stars Edwards and Boston and soccer prodigy Rodman from the U.S.
Adidas is supporting the content with paid media, including out-of-home advertising, along with digital, social and retail activations. Agency TBWA is behind the extension of “You Got This,” which has a broad aim of alleviating negative pressure in sport.
Research from Focaldata commissioned by the brand revealed many amateur athletes deal with similar obstacles, such as a surfeit of instructions, immediate negative feedback after games and being avoided when struggling. The Sideline Effect report also identifies more positive behaviors that have been endorsed by sports icons like Edwards and soccer manager Jürgen Klopp. The Sideline Essentials program born out of those insights will be distributed to Adidas partners like Breaking Barriers, the Adidas Football Collective and With Women We Run.
Adidas centering its messaging around uplift stands in contrast to Nike, which has taken on a more defiant, gritty tone since revamping its marketing strategy last year, including through ads that tackle the ruthless attitudes that are common in elite athletes. Both companies are wrestling with a fleet of upstart competitors that have challenged some of their core businesses, though Adidas performed better than Nike last year, with momentum in global markets like China.
