On Wednesday, Adidas rolls out an integrated marketing push for its Originals line, including a new national TV spot that may suffer from one ironic flaw: At first blush, it doesn't seem all that original.
That is to say, it continues the brand's tradition of cutting star-studded spots to push its line of classic sneakers and street wear. The new ad, shot at four parties in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, and Portland, Ore., mixes in some fresh faces like rapper Big Sean and pop starlet Sky Ferreira with familiar ones like Snoop Dogg, basketball player Dwight Howard, and fashion icon Jeremy Scott (who appears in an eye-popping neon orange fall 2011 piece he designed for the brand). They're going about their celebrity business and celebrity play, all decked out in Adidas gear and looking, as celebrities do, incredibly, painfully cool.
But the new ad, created by production house Kamp Grizzly, also feels more accessible than much of the recent high-profile work for Adidas Originals—less pure atmosphere and more direct appeal to the self-image of its target consumers: the young, the hip, the vain. That shift to a more inclusive tone is in large part due to the spot's broad, winking voiceover: "All the high flyers and low riders. All the in-crowd and the outsiders. Icons and oddities. Prophets and prodigies. All East Coast, all West Side . . . The streets are calling to every individual. Answer back. We are all originals." Translation? Wear this to stand out, no matter who you are.
The spot also ties in mention of the campaign's four centerpiece shoe styles—the Samoa, the Gazelle, the Campus, and the Superstar—and enough product shots to make any brand manager weep with joy. Still, it feels surprisingly natural, and totally in character for a classic, mass-produced lifestyle label. Sure, it's not really groundbreaking advertising. But by capturing Adidas' attitude and delivering a razor-sharp, if clichéd, message, it doesn't have to be.
CREDITS:
Client: Adidas Originals
Spot: "All Originals, Iconics"
Agency/Production Company: Kamp Grizzly, Portland, Ore.
Creative Directors: Daniel Portrait, Jeff Harding
Producer: Neil Kopp
Director: Daniel Portrait
Executive Producer: Jeff Harding
Director of Photography: Greg Schmitt
Digital Agency: Roundhouse
Creative Director: Joe Sundby
Copywriter: Kyle Sundby
Art Directors: Mako Miyamoto, Justin Smith
Digital Producers: Amy Christensen, Michael Brooks
