Situation

As a FIFA partner for 70 years, the World Cup is adidas’ flagship global platform; the ultimate opportunity to showcase their brand on the world stage. But that stage is crowded with a noisy field of brands fighting for attention from football fans.

Brief & objectives

So, for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, adidas set out to do something simple, yet huge; celebrate international football’s exciting return with highly engaging and unexpected brand moments. Using the world’s largest sports stage to bring people together and talk about issues important to the brand such as inclusivity and gender equality.

Moments that would place adidas at the heart of football culture, allowing fans to feel the brand in every World Cup moment, to prove why adidas was the #1 sponsor worth talking about.

Al Rihla Avenue: Welcome to our home

We wanted to create a pop-up experience that stood out from its surroundings, creating shock and intrigue amongst football fans.

Inspired by the adidas ‘Family Reunion’ World Cup creative; we concepted and designed a 70s themed house, complete with front drive and garden, and to the surprise of football fans - it would be floating in the middle of the iconic Burj Khalifa fountains.

An adidas family house which would evolve throughout the World Cup period; filled with easter eggs to discover, evoking nostalgia through World Cup history and programmed with pop-culture.

Target audience (consumer demographic / individuals / organisations)

adidas’ bullseye demographic was Gen Z football fans. However, for this stunt, we wanted to capture the attention of a wider demographic. Activating outside Dubai Mall meant we could intercept audiences from all cultures; with a shared behavioral mindset to explore, shop and engage.

Approach

To create a guerilla moment of significant impact, it needed to feel authentic. Considering every detail, immersing fans in adidas’ footballing world and bringing the ‘campaign to life in a physical environment. We wanted guests to feel they were stepping back in time to an immersive retro past; from the style of the kitchen, to the garden and swimming pool, every touchpoint was carefully considered.

Guests were invited to join the ‘Family Reunion – embedding moments of adidas’ World Cup history along the way and activating a programme of events and experiences to keep content feeling fresh.

A doorbell marked the journey’s start and tone, with a welcome message from Stormzy. Inside, guests played retro FIFA on an old school TV, open the kitchen Fridge to find the golden boot, or pick up a 70s telephone to activate highlights of Messi’s greatest world cup moments. Embedded retail displays along the journey felt organic and highly engaging.

In the garden, fans could browse football jerseys on the washing line or scan the QR code to unlock a groundbreaking AR experience; giant Messi and Benzema doing kickups either side of the Burj Khalifa.

The house hosted a programme of events; private house parties for competition winners and country-themed reactive fan days based on the teams’ progress in the competition.

Timeline

September 2022: Project awarded

September - November 2022: Pre-production and creative development

November/December 2022: Project live

Scale

300sqm, including a 15m walkway for public access to the pontoon.

Through a highly creative experience, that optimised every touch point, the stunt exceeded its key objectives of driving retail sales, brand love and campaign awareness.

Change in behaviour

The guerilla stunt changed the game on how retail experiences should be concepted and designed. Rather than shopfronts, the experience took customers into new worlds, on a journey of discovery; with products embedded at the heart of the experience.

Consumer awareness

Adidas achieved a 37% share of conversation Vs other sponsor brands*

*Based on Brandwatch Consumer Research

The adidas family house became a hotspot for influencers throughout the tournament. Hanging out at one of Dubai’s prime locations in an environment designed for content creation led to significant amplification of the experience.

Footfall

37K+ footfall

Impressions

Our experiences created a platform for content creation, contributing to adidas’ overarching campaign:

1.7 billion views of adidas World Cup content

154m campaign engagement

41% positive sentiment