Famous faces fight their shadow

To promote its Techfit range of products, which carry the strapline “Don’t perform, outperform”, Adidas targeted readers of an online Spanish sports newspaper.

The digital activity allowed Adidas to creatively include some of the sporting celebrities that have signed up to promote the brand with brand  ambassadors from basketball, football, tennis and athletics seen trying to beat their own shadow. The idea was that by adding an extra degree of effort, it was possible to beat yourself.

The ad was activated by clicking on the box upon which the star – and his shadow – moved out of the video box at the side of the page and took over the site, moving across the page for the duration of the ad.

As the sporting stars battled themselves their shadow transformed into a deadly creation – a snake, an octopus, a spider – which then took over the athlete, preventing him from achieving his sporting goal.

The message at the start of the executions encouraged Adidas consumers to succeed by always aiming to exceed their expectations, while end messages stated how elements of Techfit clothing helped create more power, , for example. Each creative also linked to the three other executions. The takeover of the page meant consumers had their full attention taken by the ad, increasing brand awareness.