Mission 'Impossible'

Chuck McBride and the creative team at TBWA\Chiat\Day in San Francisco knew the advertising for Adidas' breakthrough new product, the Adidas_1, would need to do more than just talk about its technological advances to be as special as the shoe. In development since 2001, the sneaker, billed as the "world's first intelligent shoe," uses a sensor, microprocessor and motorized cable system to automatically adjust the cushioning to a runner's size and pace, as well as the terrain. The challenge, says McBride, was expressing the "Impossible is nothing" tagline—in use since early 2004—in a commercial that communicated both the product attributes and made a strong brand statement. "We've always looked at the brand through athletes and not necessarily through the product in television. So we had a challenge in front of us: to figure out how to grow the stature of the product and the 'Impossible is nothing' aspect of [Adidas'] product development, just as much as how 'Impossible is nothing' feels to an athlete," says McBride, the agency's North American creative director.The team distilled the idea of the technology in the shoe down to two ideas: "hello tomorrow," meaning the future of technology is here right now; and walking in these shoes is analogous to "taking your first steps again," explains McBride.Breaking on national network and cable outlets on March 18, the day the sneakers become available in stores, is a fantastical commercial by Being John Malkovich director Spike Jonze, "Hello Tomorrow," which demonstrates the responsive nature of the shoe with a story of a young man whose shoes light up new worlds for him with every step. It is backed by an ethereal track composed by Squeak E. Clean and featuring Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.The global commercial, which began running as a 90-second cinema spot in the U.S. on March 4, opens on the face of a young man as he awakes in darkness. As he gets out of bed, his Adidas_1 sneakers roll over and onto his feet. As he takes his first tentative step, the shoes light up his surroundings. He leaps into the dark unknown and begins running through different landscapes, narrowly escaping such hazards as a bear in a forest. Realizing his power to change his surroundings, he lies down on a sidewalk and creates another plane to walk on. The spot ends with his return to his bed, the line "the world's first intelligent shoe" and the final "Impossible is nothing" tag. The estimated $40 million global campaign, targeting 17- to 24-year-old males, will run in 40-plus countries and includes outdoor advertising that features X-ray images of the product to highlight its high-tech innards. The commercial will air in 90-, 60-, 30- and 15-second versions.The agency, says McBride, considered several different scenarios for the spot, including comedic scripts, but decided to take it to a more "spectacular" place. Jonze helped shape the concept and bring it to life, he added. Jonze suggested that the character apply his own creativity to the action in the spot. "That sealed the deal for me," explains McBride. "It's all about customizing and personalization." (Jonze also subbed what would have been a dog chasing the man with a bear.)"It needed to be dreamlike, but it still had to be based in reality," adds Joe Kayser, cd at TBWA\C\D, who explains that the light treatment in the spot was inspired by the experience of playing "old-school" video games. Actor David Douglas was cast for his "naturally expressive face," as well as his double black belt, which enabled him to perform the stunts required by the script.The shoot was five days in Los Angeles—three on a sound stage and two on location in November. To keep as much as possible created naturally in camera, the set was mostly dark with light sources rigged to the actor's chest and on a stick in front of him. The darkness was further enhanced in post, and the finish took two months. The spot was filmed in high speed, and some of the footage was replayed backwards to give it a dreamy quality. "The cool thing ... is there is a good mix of old tech and new tech," says Kayser. "The shoes, when they roll in, are on mono film, pretty much like puppets. It's all right there in camera." The song was created as a full three-minute track and edited down. McBride credits Jonze for making the composition happen. "He reached around to some of his friends and pulled out a really good piece of music for us," says McBride. Although there are no plans yet to release it, he adds, "My hope is that it finds its way to a few MP3 players."

Brand Marketing

Mission 'Impossible'

Eleftheria Parpis

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Eleftheria Parpis