A March US campaign by adidas promoting the new NMD S1 sneakers ahead of its official global launch later in 2023, created in tandem with agency Havas Annex, took a distinctly local approach by celebrating the city of Houston and its art, creativity, fashion, style and culture which saw the German sportswear giant team up with a trio of the city’s leading influencers and tastemakers: photographer and beauty and wellness visionary Deun Ivory, rapper and car collector LE$ and self-described curator creative director of Houston style culture J Mulan.
The highly visual, digital-first campaign was built around the influencers’ personal social platforms and a lookbook – supported by an all-Houston production team – that combine to celebrate the NMD S1 alongside the city and culture of Houston.
Positioning the fresh kicks as a ‘breakthrough innovation for urbanites on-the-move’, the NMD S1 was designed to primarily appeal to modern city dwellers and merges running performance and lifestyle features. Thus this city-centric, pre-release campaign chose Houston for its reputation as ‘a city that makes style moves daily and is inspired by those who are constantly moving the culture needle’.
Rolling out from 3 March, the campaign features a local city and sneaker point-of-view curated by a trio of Houston tastemakers described ad ‘ROVERs’ for the purposes of the campaign: all three were born and bred in the city.
Adidas outfitted each with what the brand described as NMD S1 zero gravity ‘Landing Kits’ and their NMD S1 brief was ‘to capture content that celebrates the things that move Houston and make their city soar in ways that only a local can’.
The trio showcased the city’s key cultural locations, venues, streets and shops and created/curated social content – photography and video – shedding light on their take on Houston style and how the NMD S1 sneaker matches it.
“From fashion and food to music and style, Houston doesn’t always get the credit it deserves as a true force in culture. With its ties to space, the city is a launchpad quite literally, but also as an apt metaphor for the city’s boundless cultural influence in the streets of Houston and beyond,” stated the adidas campaign PR. “It’s the perfect mashup of movement and culture and this is precisely why we chose Houston as a launchpad for the adidas NMD S1, the ultimate footwear for the urbanite on the move.”
“We’re proud to partner with a brand like adidas who embraces the edge – the ‘what if’ thinking that leads to world-changing ideas, even when launched at the local level,” said Havas Chicago Chief Creative Officer Myra Nussbaum. “The boundless potential of Houston is palpable, and the NMD S1 is landing in this city is just one small step to recognize and support Houston’s cultural impact now and in the years ahead.”
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