With a laser focus on engaging the elusive and discerning Gen Alpha and Gen Z audiences, our campaign aimed to redefine and alleviate negative pressure in sport by working with athletes to overcome high-pressure moments and convey a simple yet powerful message to grassroots and elite athletes to return to the joy of sport and ‘just play.' We strategically leveraged the stage of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, intentionally leaning into the highest pressure moment in football, to unveil adidas’ new campaign messaging: YOU GOT THIS.
Our goal: Launch the new adidas brand campaign during the pinnacle of American sports viewership, captivating an audience of over 123 million – highlighting adidas’ ability to alleviate pressure for athletes in critical moments.
Driven by a social-first approach, taking inspiration from the way the next gen are redefining sports and backyard play on social, we elevated our game to the biggest stage of all. Forget throwing balls over a house, we took it to Sphere with Patrick Mahomes.
In our pursuit of not diverting Mahomes’ attention from his crucial role in reaching the Super Bowl, our creative strategy focused on creating a world in which he plays catch with his younger self, without actually needing Mahomes himself. We curated a collection of footage and brought together some of the most innovative minds and proprietary technology to construct a compelling computer-generated visual representation of Mahomes, without disrupting his incredible season.
Recognizing the opportunity to bet big with Mahomes and the Chiefs advancing to the playoffs, we applied a focused effort to accomplish in just one month what would typically require a six month timeframe, to lead up to the Super Bowl. Leveraging the admiration for Mahomes’ playing style that resonates across generations of football players, we successfully identified a body double capable of replicating his actions. We then worked with his actual throwing coach to perfect his movements.
To extend the creative beyond Sphere, we incorporated an anamorphic football thrown into the Vegas sky, caught by other adidas athletes across the country, including Julio Rodriguez and Anthony Edwards. This expanded our campaign story, creating a cohesive experience across platforms and broadening our audience reach by 35 million.
The success of the campaign exceeded all expectations, leaving a mark on both social and traditional platforms. Our hero drone video achieved staggering results with 96.5 million views on Instagram and 58.8 million on TikTok, solidifying its place as the highest-viewed content not only across adidas channels but on Sphere, Patrick Mahomes and adidas US football channels as well. Surpassing even Messi’s historic World Cup victory, our video became a standout moment in adidas’ content history.
The campaign sparked a global conversation, garnering attention from reputable sources such as Boardroom, Complex Sports, Sports Illustrated, The Score, SBJ, Complex Sneakers, Nice Kicks and Campaign US. Notably, sports marketing personality Jordan Rogers delivered a rave review, further amplifying the campaign’s impact.
The “epic catch” edit garnered 36.7 million views, securing its position as the second-best-performing content across adidas channels. This viewership underscored the widespread resonance of our storytelling approach.
The paid performance during Super Bowl week exceeded the client’s expectations, emphasizing the campaign’s effectiveness in surpassing key objectives. The team’s ability to push boundaries, captivate audiences globally, generate buzz across renowned platforms, and pivot seamlessly between mediums solidified adidas as an innovator in sports marketing.
