https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R68krWhXieM
Source: adidas NEWS STREAM : adidas and Pharrell Williams Announce ‘Don’t Be Quiet Please’ Campaign
This article is not meant to show and promote the gear. It is a continuation of my analysis of why adidas is moving to the forefront of the sneaker market.
In the last two years every marketing move adidas has made was right on point. Well, all except one:
adidas Originals | ORIGINAL is never finished 3 | A Rare Stumble | Marketing
This third installment of Original is never finished was a rare stumble for the brand. The core of the marketing campaigns of adidas have been consistent in their subversive, artistically dark presentation of “youth”. The intent has not been to establish the angst of teens… which would be cliche; the goal has been to establish that the past informs the present and by looking to the past everyone has a chance to recreate those things that weren’t quite right. Everyone gets to take the original and place their own spin on the situation. Original 3 seemed forced.
What makes adidas a more attractive an authentic brand in the creation of their campaigns is that they have mastered the ability to take grainy, unfinished, unpolished images and turn those images into art. The people utilized are not the traditional “models” placed in ads. What truly makes an adidas campaign different is that when they have made a mistake they immediately correct it. The Original is never finished 3 featuring Kendall Jenner was not authentic. It was viewed a lot, but it didn’t speak to the core audience supporting the brand. Instead of allowing that ad to remain the focus adidas pulls in a major influencer in Pharrell and creates a “literal” platform for him to deliver a new message, “Don’t be quiet.”
The brand will place colorful umpire chairs throughout the city of New York as an allusion to the call of the umpire before a tennis match. People will be able to use the umpire chairs, which are one part art, one part rebellion, to sit and air out their thoughts in a public forum. This creates the continued connection to tennis players like Arthur Ashe who fought for civil rights and the connection to the future fighters for equality and ideas.
The campaign connects sport and fashion via a camp at the Frederick Johnson Community Courts. Every adidas campaign is an integration and connecting tissue that removes the selling aspect of marketing footwear and apparel. I guess ultimately that it helps when the apparel is dope, but adidas is crafting narratives at a time when every other brand is sitting on its hands and failing to connect in a meaningful way. Use the source link above to read more about this campaign and click to watch the video. The campaign launched on August 28th.