Source: adidas and Major League Soccer Unveil the 2017 Official Match Ball
So yesterday news dropped that Big Sean left Adidas for Puma and that Nike finally took over the Chelsea FC contract and sponsorship. With Adidas losing the NBA at the end of this season and losing ground in basketball player endorsement, although they picked up 8 rookies but haven’t done a damn campaign with them although I made this suggestion a while back; Adidas still has a chance to win, but it will take balls.
The Nativo is the latest technological advancement in surface structure on soccer balls for the MLS. The ball captures elements of Canada and the US in graphics on the surface and is thermally bonded to prevent the accumulation of moisture. While the ball is visually stunning, this isn’t where the potential lies in 2017 for adidas.
The CEO stated that the brand would begin spending more money on marketing. Right now the US and North America only get excited when it’s World Cup time. That’s primarily a bonding experience. Adidas no longer owns the branding of any major American sport. Under Armour has baseball starting in 2020. Nike has the NFL and NBA and the NCAA is broken up among sponsors but is dominated by Nike. This means the only television medium that still attracts viewers with consistency where they can’t fast forward through commercials is sports.
It’s not in television solely where Adidas has an opportunity. Branding is branding. The Pogba ad that Adidas ran in Europe and online was amazing. The NFL is losing viewership. Millennials grew up riding in the van with their moms to play soccer, not football. There is an emotional attachment to the beautiful game that can be generated and it is an opportunity. It is January. The MLS season doesn’t start until March 3rd. If Adidas and its marketing team had any balls, they would begin creating individual videos in coordination with each team in MLS. There has to be a creation story. With this creation story each “star” and player on the roster should be given stories as well. There should be a tee shirt series created and made available in conjunction with these videos. Adidas should be creating funny videos to make soccer clear to the North American market. Adidas should positioning itself as the anti American Football league. Highlights and clips of last season should deliver to the public who the hell the champions were of last season. A tournament styled bracket should be created in a commercial series…
What I’m saying is, don’t just show me a ball, give me a story and make me want to see MLS soccer. This is your last play in the US to create a narrative that sustains the momentum of the brand because when Nike gets the NBA it’s curtains. Use the source link to check out the new Nativo ball from the Three Stripes.
For the record, this video above was dropped by Adidas Soccer last month. It has 771 views on the channel. YouTube is no longer a viral platform. It is pay to play and there isn’t any way in hell that a brand that large should be so damn cheap as not to pay for views. An ad campaign to garner 2500 views in one week only costs 35 dollars. If your hashtag is never follow then get to leading.
