By Tom Parsons
May 28 – Adidas has launched its World Cup marketing and social media campaign, and in a breakaway from the traditional approach by brands to social media, the sportswear giant is allowing people to make the decision to be “all in” or “nothing” with Adidas during the world’s biggest football tournament.
A 1-minute advertisement with a host of Adidas contracted stars, including Lionel Messi, gives consumers the opportunity to choose whether they want to follow Adidas Twitter accounts and receive CRM initiatives. The final frame of the ad, which has already been viewed over 29 million times on YouTube since it was published on May 24, gives viewers the option whether to be “all in” or “nothing” by clicking on the relevant box on the screen.
Those who click the “all in” box are said to understand and follow Adidas’ footballing ethos and therefore will automatically be signed up to all of the company’s World Cup content, including following all of their footballing Twitter handles where CRM initiatives will be Tweeted. Those who click “nothing” will automatically be opted out of all CRM initiatives including unfollowing all Adidas Twitter handles.
Commenting on this new initiative an Adidas spokesman said: “If consumers decide against joining Adidas and its FIFA World Cup communication, Adidas is happy to let them leave the team as it focuses on quality over quantity in its social media audiences.”
This stance certainly contradicts the views of many marketing experts who believe that having large bases on social media will ultimately lead to more sales/views. Adidas’ views on this are certainly refreshing in a numbers driven World.
The lead advert for Adidas’ “#Allin or Nothing” campaign was first aired during the Champions League final between the two Madrid clubs on Saturday. The video directed by “City of God” director Fernando Meirelles involves Adidas stars Luis Suarez, Dani Alves, Robin Van Persie, Mesut Ozil and others preparing for the World Cup in a dream belonging to Lionel Messi. The clip aptly titled ‘Lionel Messi’s World Cup Dream’ has Kanye West’s ‘God level’ as the backing music.
The global brand marketing director for Adidas football, Tom Ramsden, said: “This advert presents the ‘#allin or nothing’ attitude by showcasing the dedication and commitment required to winning this great tournament.
“Giving anything less than everything will not win the World Cup. At Adidas, we believe the only way to play sport, unlock your potential and get the most out of the biggest event in sport, is to be ‘all in’.”
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