Adidas Colombia "Gazelle fridge"

Adidas wanted to launch its new sportswear Gazelle with Cool Climate technology, that keeps the users fresh while running. This product was being launched in hot climate cities such as, Cartagena, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga (Colombia). In order to sell the benefit of this technology, the stores were equipped with refrigerators. Inside, laid the Cool Climate outfit (shoes, shirt and shorts). Once the user opened the refrigerator he/she obtained the outfit in a cool temperature. In addition to this, ventilators were situated below the clothes, a constant movement of the clothes supported the freshness concept. This strategy communicates that staying fresh while exercising is essential. The runners that took part of this experience are now Gazelle users. Therefore the Cool Climate sportswear is now seen as the ideal gear to exercise in hot climates.

Agency: Pull & Push Y&R, Bogotá, Colombia.

GAM3 "Traffic signs"

CAM3 is an international non-profit organization that arranges street basket tournaments and urban cultural events for kids in Denmark and the Middle East in order to integrate minority youth in the community. In 2007 GAM3 became official NBA Cares Community Partner. GAM3 wanted to promote the annual GAM3 basket finals in Copenhagen to a target group of 12+ street ballers without a media budget. GAM3's tag line is "Take it to the streets" and so they did. In order to gain awareness, they temporarily turned pedestrians on Copenhagen traffic signs into basketball players. This way, they quitte literally reached the target group on the street level and helped promote street basket as basketball's more adventurous offspring.

Agency: Plant Copenhagen, Denmark.

Minigolf World Championships 2009 "Drainpipe"

The challenge was to promoto the Minigolf World Championships 2009 with a non-existent budget. In the city of Odense they used drainpipes, wich were connected to gutters, to create extremely difficult minigolf courses. A head-turning event, wich was also mentioned in several Danish newspapers.

Agency: Bach+Andersen Copenhagen, Denmark.

Funktion Personal Training "Escape your boring gym"

Recently, commuters in Vancouver were privy to a rather unusual sight: a man riding a stationary bike. Along the bike's side were the words "Escape your boring gym." The bike was created by Rethink Communications for Funktion Personal Training, a company that specializes in outdoor fitness bootcamps. funktiontraining.com

Agency: Rethink Vancouver, Canada.

Nike "Human Race"

In the unifying spirit of the Beijing Olympics, Nike wanted to create a historic event that would bring the entire world together, inspiring its active community of avid runners as well as inviting new runners to the sport. To do so, Nike developed something that was appealing to both audiences—something that current runners would find challenging and engaging but which would be approachable enough for new runners. The Nike+ platform connected runners worldwide and made the Nike+ Human Race 10K a reality. The Nike+ Human Race 10K was the largest one-day running event in history, and the next evolution of the award-winning product, Nike+. Runners around the globe came together, both physically and virtually, to challenge and inspire each other. As Nike’s lead digital agency, they connected people to the race in the digital space and beyond. They created a digital platform which included registration, race and concert information. They developed tools to let users find and challenge other runners; utilities that helped people raise money for charity; media players with access to proprietary music mixes; video content featuring athletes and artists, housed on its own YouTube channel. And on race day, they made results available as they came in. Working with partner agencies, they also created concepts for on-site experiences like video booths and off-line ideas such as a commemorative book in which users could submit photos of their experience. Silver Cannes Lions Media Winner.

Agency: R/GA New York, USA.

Football Federation Australia "The Missing H"

The target audience were not true football fans but rather the broader group of sports loving Australians who are fickle when it comes to deciding what matches they go to; tending to only make an effort to attend “draw card” games. The real barrier was that they simply didn't care about Ghana. Ghana was an unknown country at the other end of the earth with no meaning, no personality and no face. They had to do something that made them feel connected to the opposition team. Ticket sales had reached a plateau with patriotic Aussies, so any insight that could drive ticket sales with their broader target was considered relevant by the client. For their target audience, igniting some personality into an opposition team they had never even thought about was a highly novel way to focus their attention on what looked to them like a non-event match. Their solution was to turn the usual sports marketing paradigm on its head. Rather than focus on garnering support for Australia we focused on making Ghana the focal point. Their idea was to create a fake Ghanaian fan club, intent on spelling the word ‘GHANA’ on their chests. But due to the lack of Ghanaians in Australia they couldn’t find a fifth member, and were hence missing the “H”. So they sent them onto the streets of Sydney, where they appealed to the public to attend the game and be their missing “H”. While their idea began as a piece of ambient media, the interest it generated meant that it channelled into other forms of media, such as online blogs and live television e.g. interviews on national news programmes. In just 24 hours the Ghanaians’ appeal snowballed into a national TV news story, with interviews on various morning shows and primetime news segments around the country. They were also the topic of discussion on numerous blog sites around the globe. In under 48 hours the Ghanaians had been exposed to hundreds of thousands of people, giving the FFA $250,000 worth of media value for a budget of only $15,000. And all of this translated into a 50% increase in ticket sales in only three days. With the profile of football in Australia still growing, any results that indicated support for the game was immensely important for the FFA, who are currently driving Australia’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Gold Cannes Lions Media Winner.

Agency: Lowe Sydney, Australia.

IFK Gothenburg "Gaisflowers"

IFK Goteborg and GAIS, both from Goteborg, are two main football clubs in the Swedish Premier League. IFK Goteborg is the better of the two and has not lost a match against GAIS since 1992. That’s 16 years ago. On 1 September, it was once again time for the derby between the teams. But there’s a problem when one team wins too often; the suspense disappears. And so do spectators. So what could they do in order to raise interest and sell more tickets the week before the big match? In order to sell more tickets they had to do something about the fundamental problem. Instead of just selling tickets they had to sell the whole idea with a derby. They had to get the thrill back in the game. That´s why they decided to secure the opposition in the future. IFK Goteborg started a campaign where the money collected went to the GAIS youth team. They designed a pin, a flower, which was sold for the symbolic price of SEK 16 (Euro 1,5). All campaign units aimed to gather money for the GAIS youth team. They hoped this would give the derby a lot of publicity and help to sell more tickets. The week before the campaign started, they sold approximately 300 tickets a day. During the campaign they sold a total of 8,000 tickets, i.e. 2,000 tickets per day (266% over budget). With a very limited media budget, the campaign spread locally, nationally and became the talk of the town. More than 100 newspaper articles and television reports were made. More than 60 blogs commented on the campaign and over 1,000 comments written and 113 other websites referring to the campaign site. A campaign site was created and had over 13,000 visitors from 38 different countries. The collected funds went to the GAIS youth team; they bought 400 new footballs with the money. Promotion helps them sell tickets right away. This year they really had to succeed. The thrill of the derby was gone and so were the spectators. But they couldn´t just do a normal Sales Pomotion campaign. They had to sell the whole idea with a derby. They had to get the thrill back in the game. Bronze Cannes Lions Promo Winner.

Agency: ANR.BBDO Gothenburg, Sweden.

Special Olympics Japan "Special Olympicas Message Relay"

1. Client’s orientation points: Raise awareness of the Special Olympics in Japan effectively using a limited budget. 2. Solution: Produce a “message baton” using the idea of a baton for sports competition and engraving this with a message. Spread the message through a baton relay of handing it from one person to another. This revolutionary idea makes this an ongoing campaign without spending any money. Client evaluation: The clients raved that it was the most innovative idea they have ever seen. Media coverage: In media value the baton starting ceremony picked up by newspapers and TV accounts for approximately $112,000 in free publicity. 3. Strategy validity: We were able to send a deep and impactful message through people without using money as other campaigns do. It provides a heart warming moment to many people almost as if it were a present from a stranger. Bronze Cannes Lions Promo Winner.

Agency: Shigaya-Gumi Tokyo, Japan.

Adidas "Adithread"

In 2007 the Adidas sponsored All Blacks suffered the most unexpected defeat at the Rugby World Cup. The challenge was to reconnect a disillusioned fan base with the team and strengthen Adidas’ brand position in the process. To do this they needed an idea that would get fans closer to the All Blacks by registering their support in a new, innovative and disruptive way. The insight was that the strength of the fans relationship was in the enduring power and legacy of the All Black jersey. The promotion was an integrated campaign where the jersey itself became message and medium. An interactive promotion invited fans to sign a virtual jersey thread. In a world first they then used nanotechnology to imprint the names on to a real thread to be sewn into the captains jersey. Alongside this was a unique chance for babies born on a 2008 test match day to be gifted a special All Blacks jersey, capturing a new generation of fans. The campaign took on a life of its own generating blog stories around the world and over 25,000 google results. The New Zealand media ran the campaign as the lead story in the primetime news bulletins and it made the front section of the major metropolitan newspapers. The website generated traffic from over 150 countries. 68% of NZ babies born on test match dates claimed their special jersey. Interest in the All Blacks was restored with research showing 18% more fans expressing interest. Ultimately, almost 10,000 fans got to have their name nano-imprinted into a piece of All Black history. Never before had sports fans had such an interactive and tangible way in which to become a part of their favourite team. The promotion would literally stitch the fans into adidas product and All Black history, deepening the relationship between the fans, adidas product, and All Blacks team. Additionally, they were giving the new generation of fans a special memory and affinity for the adidas brand they would carry with them for the rest of their lives. Gold Cannes Lions Promo Winner.

Agency: TBWA\Whybin Auckland, New Zealand.

Vaude Outdoor Equipment "Extreme conditions"

Vaude. Equipment for extreme conditions.

Agency: Scholz&Friends Berlin, Germany.

FC St.Pauli "Chapel"

Once you have stood in the St.Pauli stand, surrounded by waving colours, chanting with others, you know the deal: this is beyond soccer. This is belief. This is religion. Every religion needs its chapel. Where, if not in the heart-in the Millerntor-Stadium? In the midst of angel statues, icons of legendary St.Pauli kickers and authentic pews. There gleams a box as a sacred chapel. Relics soaring above the altar remind of great moments and heros. Entering, you will have the feeling, as if your private chant would sound through the sacred halls: We believe. In the FC St.Pauli.

Agency: Jung von Matt/Alster, Hamburg, Germany.

Adidas Originals "The Ting Tings"

Adidas created secret and really interesting show with the british duo The Ting Tings. Within the concept “Originals”, the brand distributed to guest white clothes from their new collection. In a completely white space and "armed" with pens and paint guns the guest could paint everything even the musicians. Adidas promotes again the creative expression with this stunt.

Check the video here:
Adidas Originals

Puma "Pumus Trendycus"

They were asked to come up with a promotional idea for the launch of the Puma Spring 09 collection. Only the budget was quite limited and they wanted them to figure out a way to create a buzz about the new collection and to get as much PR as possible because they lacked the budget for advertising. They thought where better to promote the Puma 09 collection than the Zagreb Zoo. But they couldn't make it completely obvious that it was a Puma event, because they wanted a variety of press and not just a selcted fashion coverage, so in order to make it interesting and to insure a sufficient amount of Press coverage they created a new beast, a new species named: Pumus Trendycus, wich have been brought to Zagreb Zoo for the first time and gave the press the privilege to be the first to see this new beast. Once all the Press arrived, they revealed the cages with models and a famous local musician who performed from inside the cages dressed in the new Puma collection. They had invited 10 Press mebers, but the Puma Trendycus buzz brought in 30 journalists, and 3 TV stations. The event was covered in all major newspapers, fashion magazines, on 2 news channels, 1 famous tv show, and dozen of local and international blogs and forums.

Agency: Bruketa & Žinić Zagreb, Croatia.

Dreamfields "Good day Golfers"

Good day golfers. No need to worry, this is not some obscure land redistribution programme set out to upset your handicap. But at least we have your attention. Although what we ultimately need is your assistance. We are a group of corporations and individuals with a dream to build as many soccer pitches as we can in townships and rural areas around South Africa. Leaving a lasting legacy, long after the closing ceremony of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Considering that one average-sized golf course like this is equivalent to 500 pitches, it’s not a pipedream either. Imagine the joy even one newly levelled field would bring to millions of kids who play the beautiful game in the rough. You can sponsor DreamBags (kit, balls & boots), DreamEvents (tournaments and leagues) or DreamFields. If you would like to help us make dreams real for many children, we’d love to hear from you. Enjoy your beautiful game.

Agency: BBDO Cape Town, South Africa.

Adidas "Impossible Huddle"

The UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland ranks alongside the Olympic Games as the largest sporting event in the world in 2008. And adidas wanted to be the number 1 football brand, sending their “Impossible is nothing” message far beyond the borders of the two countries. Strategy: Don‘t merely show pictures of famous football players. Bring the footballers closer to the fans and the fans closer to them. Let each fan feel like a fly on the wall, as the tension reaches a crescendo, just seconds before the beginning of the match. They created a 17 m high, 33 m wide, 3 dimensional 11 man huddle featuring the best players of the tournament in Switzerland‘s most frequented location: the Zurich main train station. A 14 tonne place of pilgrimage that was 10 times larger than the wax figures on display at Madame Tussaud‘s in London, Hollywood or Berlin. But every bit as detailed. During the European Championships, the Huddle evolved into a landmark where fans of all nations took millions of pictures and films and celebrated their passion for the game. The Swiss rail authority reported an estimated overall audience of over 13 million people over the course of the three weeks. The Impossible Huddle was launched live on N24, a European news network, and was on major stations throughout the continent within hours. Major news titles such as BBC, Financial Times, Die Welt, Gazetta dello Sport, Le Parisien and NRC Handelsblad featured it on their front pages or online editions. It was discussed on hundreds of websites, blogs and advertising journals throughout the world. Online communities such as facebook and youtube featured groups and posts honouring the Huddle, as well as user-generated short films inspired by it. And one week before the final, the press declared adidas the winning sports brand of the UEFA EURO 2008. Recognized by 30 % of the audience, as compared with 12 % for competitors, they reported an increase of 50 % in the football apparel sales, earning them an estimated 15 % added market share.

Agency: TBWA\ Berlin, Germany.

Adidas "Impossible Postcard"

The UEFA EURO 2008 sent out an enormous wave of emotion through Germany. Millions of dedicated fans followed the games, and even as the team was narrowly beaten in the final, the public still stood strong behind them. In recognition of this support, the team wanted to say one last thank you in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Their idea was to say Danke (engl. thank you) in a way no other partner could - by creating enormous postcards addressed to the German football team, which the fans could sign and personalise. As the squad arrived in Berlin the day after the Final,they placed 26 mobile billboards around the Brandenburg gate and invited fans to write their own personal message to their football heroes. They simply gave the fans a canvas upon which they could do yo. As a main partner of the German football team, adidas asked them to welcome the team back home and allow the public to express its gratification for players and trainers alike. Over 100.000 fans took part and wrote to the team. Their thank you promotion was not only to be seen live on TV, but also on Germany´s largest internet portal, Spiegel Online, who reported it the same evening. And on the following day, the billboard could be seen throughout national print titles such as BILD, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Die Welt. And ultimately, all 26 signed thank you billboards were converted into actual postcards that were subsequently sent to each member of the national team.

Agency: TBWA\ Berlin, Germany.

Adidas "Impossible Goalkeeper"

Adidas wanted to be the # 1 football brand during the UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, sending their “Impossible is nothing” philosophy far beyond the borders of the 2 countries. To rise above standard advertising chaos, they needed something as monumental and entertaining as the event itself. So they borrowed the city‘s dearest attraction, and converted it into an ambassador for their brand: a 60 meter high, 111 year old ferris wheel in the “Prater” amusement park in Vienna. It was the symbol of the UEFA Euro 2008, welcoming over 4 million visitors a year. A week before the final, adidas was declared by the press the winner of the UEFA Euro 2008 run among sports brands. Recognized by 30 % of the audience, against 12 % for the competitors, reporting an increase of 50 % in the football apparel sales and getting an extra 15 % of the market. They installed a 61 meter tall version of the world‘s # 1 goalkeeper, Petr Cech, with 8 arms spinning along the amusement park‘s ferris wheel. A landmark and a tourist attraction were joined to make an unbeatable goalkeeper you could take a ride with. To complete the experience, they spread thousands of 3D postcards as souvenirs, getting press and public to multiply the reach of the idea, and transforming the launch into a memorable event. Visible within a 2 km radius, it was seen live by over 1 million fans, doubling the number of tickets sold. 5 TV channels and over 25 newspapers, news agencies and portals were there to cover one piece of “advertising”. In a matter of hours, there were over 150 posts in 25 countries on the Internet. Major news titles such as BBC, Bild and USA Today, featured it in their print or online editions. It reached major Brazilian and Argentinean football news, but also the cover of the biggest Hungarian newspaper and Chinese TV.

Agency: TBWA\ Berlin, Germany.

Adidas "As One" foosball tournament.

In Hong Kong, European football has a close and keen following at both club and international level. Adidas, being the leader in football, looked to be the leader in exciting fans about Euro 2008 and doing so, sell Adidas Euro 2008 merchandise. As with any team sport, it is recognised that any professional player is only as good as the team around him. Hence Adidas's positioning "Together as One". What better way to demonstrate that than host their own tournament? So to build the hype about the tournament's Adidas-sponsored teams, a giant, life-size three-on-three football tournament was held indoors at Langham Place, where the players were literally strapped into their preferred team's jersey and played with two of their mates, against another team. The idea was to get the public involved and they did! Hundreds registered to fill the 16 three-man team places for the tournament. Their tournament kicked off at the same time as Euro 2008 and culminated in a final on the same day as the Euro final. The tournament was a great success in raising brand awareness through participation and entertainment and that translated to sales. The Adidas Euro 2008 target sell-through rate was set at between 30-40%, however the Euro Federation Jerseys sell-through rate achieved 54% while the Euro Match Ball achieved a 51% sell-through.

Agency: TEQUILA\ Hong Kong, China.

Adidas "As One" miniature football game.

In Hong Kong, European football has a close and keen following at both club and international level. Adidas, being the leader in football, looked to be the leader in exciting fans about Euro 2008 and in doing so, sell Adidas Euro 2008 merchandise. To build the hype about the tournament's Adidas-sponsored teams, a special magazine cover was created. In "Touch" magazine, an unprecedented miniature football game was packaged as a premium to get fans involved. Readers could adopt their team and play by flicking the ball, like a table-top coin game, into the goal. The magazine execution was a great success in raising awareness that translated to sales. The Adidas Euro 2008 target sell-through rate was set at between 30-40%, however the Euro Federation Jerseys sell-through rate achieved 54% wile the Euro Match Ball achieved a 51% sell-through.

Agency: TEQUILA\ Hong Kong, China.

Adidas "As One" street parade.

In Hong Kong, European football has a close and keen following at both club and international level. Adidas, being the leader in football, looked to be the leader in exciting fans about Euro 2008 and in doing so, sell Adidas Euro 2008 merchandise. As with any team sport, it is recognised that any proffesional player is only as good as the team around him hence Adidas's positioning "Together as One". So to build the hype about the tournament's Adidas-sponsored teams, a alternative outdoor event, Human Street Parade, was created, Adidas federation jerseys were literally stitched together to dramatise the importance of standing shoulder-to-shoulder as a team, and led by a cheerlady, the teams paraded in two of the highest pedestrian traffic areas in Hong Kong, Mong Kok and Causeway Bay. The parades attracted a lot of street interest. The media got hold of it too. All of wich helped raise brand awareness and contribute to a campaign that raised sales during Euro 2008. The Adidas Euro 2008 target sell-through rate was set at between 30-40%, however the Euro Federation Jerseys sell-through rate achieved 54% while the Euro Match ball achieved a 51% sell-through.

Agency: TEQUILA\ Hong Kong, China.