Adidas continues its umbrella ‘creators’ creative concept with the launch of a new film focusing on one of its flagship football ambassadors Paul Pogba.
This striking spot follows Pogba rise from the streets to his transfer to back to Manchester United and becoming, according to the brand (which is also a Manchester United commercial partner) the talk of the football world.
Courage, individuality, freedom, imagination, risk taking and playing by your own rules are all themes embedded within this commercial with continues to explore the sportswear giant’s global athlete-meets-creativity positioning and communication platform.
Created by agency 72andSunny LA and directed by Imperial Woodpecker’s Stacy Wall, the ad’s narrative explores the idea that Pogba has been ‘the name on everybody’s lips’ ever since childhood.
From street kickabouts, to trying to ‘score’ girls in the classroom, impressing on the pitch and in life, the ad rolled out to leverage interest in one of the biggest games in the Manchester United season – a match against long-time rivals Liverpool.
The ad was launched on 17 October – the day of the game
and was amplified heavily across social platforms before, during and after the match with a comprehensive set of images, GIFs and videos across Adidas channels like Twitter
A born creator, he’s always done things his own way. Football needs creators. @PaulPogba is the proof. #heretocreate pic.twitter.com/hyEYmtx20z
— adidas (@adidas) October 17, 2016
Football needs the unexpected. Football needs creators. @PaulPogba is #heretocreate. pic.twitter.com/czZmHkw3ej
— adidas (@adidas) October 23, 2016
Football needs risk takers. Football needs creators. @PaulPogba is #heretocreate. pic.twitter.com/3F5gk49hz1
— adidas (@adidas) October 21, 2016
Creators bring imagination to the game. @PaulPogba is ready to prove it. See his story: https://t.co/zsOwPBAXJX. #heretocreate pic.twitter.com/lJCXd3xUt5
— adidas (@adidas) October 20, 2016
Give @PaulPogba the freedom and watch him create. See his story: https://t.co/r7XGZbR2zv #heretocreate pic.twitter.com/CQya7ifluh
— adidas (@adidas) October 18, 2016
Sport needs courage. Sport needs creators. @PaulPogba is #heretocreate. pic.twitter.com/aD1ZNknPuR
— adidas (@adidas) October 16, 2016
Comment
Pogba signed for Manchester United in August and for Adidas a few month earlier in March 2016.
‘I chose adidas because we have shared passions and values. adidas has the same vibe as I do, on and off the pitch,’ Pogba said in a PR statement accompanying the campaign launch.
‘I love music, dance and fashion but my biggest passion is football and I needed a brand that would give me the space to express myself and explore new frontiers. In adidas I found a partner with the same goals as me.’
Pogba has certainly been a hugely impressive social star since France’s Euro 2016 (see our #FirstNeverFollows campaign case study) and his move back to Manchester United (see our #Pogback campaign case study) – both from a personal and an endorser point of view – and this spot’s 4.4m YouTube views to date suggests appetite for Pogba content continues to be high.
But has he quite found his feet on the pitch yet?
This campaign is certainly a stark contrast in tone and objective when compared to the cause-led #SeeingIsBelieving initiative launched by rivals Liverpool and shirt sponsor Standard Chartered Chartered to leverage interest in the same game (see case study).
Links
Adidas Snapchat:
http://snapchat.com/add/adidasfootball
Adidas Twitter:
https://twitter.com/adidasfootball
Adidas Facebook:
https://facebook.com/adidasfootball
Adidas Instagram:
http://instagram.com/adidasfootball
Adidas Football Web:
72andSunny LA:
