Source: ADIDAS TO INSPIRE THE FUTURE OF SOCCER IN NORTH AMERICA
A week ago adidas shifted from neutral and I explained why this was important in the article below:
‘Creativity is the Answer’ Gets Back to How adidas Built Their Momentum
adidas has had trouble really becoming at home in the U.S. the last year proved to be an anomaly as it was built on fashion, but it had compelling concepts at the root from a marketing standpoint. Unfortunately the fleeting nature of fashion settled in and the market was no longer responding to the brand by the end of 2017 and entering 2018. adidas did release a couple of beautiful shoes, but those models, the Atric and Kamanda, aren’t general release shoes. A year ago adidas began laying the foundation of how they would become an additional layer of American lifestyle. It happened at the same moment that silhouette fatigue was settling in on the NMD so no one really talked about what adidas was doing:
When I wrote the post above I realized that adidas was not going to attempt to play at the game it couldn’t win in the sports arena. adidas made a conscious decision to dive into grassroots via soccer. I made a few jokes, but it was a serious look at how the brand saw an access point and made their move. Today they launched an initiative that ties into their extremely successful Glitch and Tango futbol movements.
The content aims to inspire the young soccer player into becoming the future of soccer in North America as the U.S., Canada and Mexico unite to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. As part of this push to find creative answers within the sport, adidas Soccer will host Tango League events in Los Angeles and New York City on June 12 and 17, respectively. Players, ages 16-25, will battle out to be crowned Tango MVP of each city. The two reigning champions will then travel to Moscow to partake in the global Tango League final during the last week of the FIFA World Cup. While in the host nation, the U.S. representatives will compete against Tango MVPs from all around the world for a spot in the Tango Squad F.C. managed by World Cup champion Xabi Alonso.
The World Cup committee announced that North America will host the World Cup in 2026. This is important as currently soccer is not the dominant sport in the U.S. The sport will grow and become a lot more popular as CTE is becoming a worrisome threat to how American football is perceived by parents. adidas is taking the right step in doing what the And 1 Mixtape tour did for basketball in the 90s. As Michael Jordan was fading away, streetball gave us players and moves that made everyone jump out of their seats. The style entered into the pro ranks via guys like Allen Iverson and Steve Francis.
adidas is basically doing the same thing. I’ve been screaming for certain brands to look at the niche sports for the U.S. market in order to prepare for the next wave of what will drive interest in footwear and apparel. This is a genius move by the Three Stripes. Take a moment to click through on the source link to view the video. If you aren’t sure of Glitch or Tango let me put in basketball terms. The Tango Squad for adidas is like the And 1 Bus Tour when the top player from each city joins to try and make the And 1 team. The Tango Squad is basically that concept, but with soccer. The fact that adidas has building pitches in key cities is more than interesting… it’s the type of subversive moves that made 2016 and 17 so positive for the brand. This is definitely one to keep an eye on.