Following hot on the heels of signing a huge endorsement deal, early December sees Houston Rockets star James Harden front his first Adidas ad campaign led by a US commercial that fits into the brand’s umbrella ‘Creators Never Follow’ creative concept.
Created as part of Adidas’s ongoing ‘Sport 15’ film series, a long-term investment that aims to inspire young athletes, the lead film mixes on-court footage with candid clips from Harden’s own social media channels – thus genuinely reflecting Harden’s unique character.
Perhaps the NBA’s most singular on- and off-court personality, the spot reflects the shooting guard’s creative playing style, cult personality and individual style and fashion sense.
The 60-second spot, which airs across TV and digital platforms from 2 December, fits in with the brand’s current engagement strategy focused on encouraging young ‘creators’ to write their own story and take the lead in their own game.
The content is amplified across both Adidas and Harden’s social channels.
Creators never follow. Be who you are and create your own game.
https://t.co/RdyfDCt9Uu
— adidas (@adidas) December 2, 2015
Nicknamed ‘The Beard’, Harden expressed his excitement over the spot via a press release:
‘I’m really excited about my first commercial campaign with adidas and I love that this spot is true to who I am, my style of play, and represents how we’re going to disrupt the game. My story is about being your own person — from how you dress to how you carry yourself. It’s simple; you’ve got to be true and genuine at all times.’
This is Harden’s first ad since signing a staggering 13-year, $200m Adidas ambassador deal during the summer.
This follows his ascent to an iconic status through recent NBA seasons: as his influence has grown significantly both through his superb performances (last season he finished second in the MVP voting behind Stephen Curry) and his individual personality that is characterised by both his beard and his signature ‘cooking’ celebration.
He is even on-trend in an advertising sense, as he describes the ad by saying: ‘The spot is true to who I am, my style of play, and represents how we are going to disrupt the game’.
“To become a superstar, each one has to take its own road. James is a great example of this achievement and we hope his story and our new commercial “Creators Never Follow”, will inspire young athletes across the world,’ adds Adidas Global Vice President of Marketing Ryan Morlan
‘Sport today isn’t about standing by and watching other people’s greatness,” continues Morlan.
‘It’s finding your own path and removing any obstacle in the way to reach it. James is a great example of that and young athletes around the globe will be inspired by how we’re revolutionizing the game with “Creators Never Follow.”’
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Adidas’ Morland also adds that this campaign is a key part of Adidas’ US strategy to ‘bring them back into the sports brand game’.
A comment that refers to the fact that last year Adidas slipped third spot in the US sports brand rankings behind new challenger Under Armour and market leader Nike.
This campaign, driven by Adidas’ mission to be the world’s best sports brand, is part of its current global objective to encourage all athletes to define their own path
While Adidas (and Rockets fans) would have preferred Harden’s 2015/16 season to have opened with a better start, his recent record for innovative marketing initiatives (see our case studies of his recent Foot Locker campaigns ‘Play My Tweet’ and ‘Horse With Harden’) suggests it’ll be worth watching just where Adidas and Harden go next.
His first Adidas signature shoe is expected to drop in summer of 2016.
If sport and sports stars are evolving, as Adidas believes, then surely James embodies this bold new approach?
Thus far, with 400,000 YouTube views since its 2 December release, the jury seems out.
Sport15 aims to further establish Adidas’ leadership and passion for sport by motivating athletes to trust their gut, challenge the status quo and create their own definition of leading the game.
This ‘Create Your Own Game’ phase of the initiative follows previous stands called ‘Unfollow’ and ‘Create The New Speed’ – starring an array of Adidas ambassadors from Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale, Thomas Müller, Mesut Özil, to DeMarco Murray, Jimmy Graham and Sammy Watkins – (see case study).
Links:
Adidas YouTube:
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Adidas Twitter:
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James Harden Twitter:
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