Because we weren’t allowed to say a word about the Olympics, we found another way to speak. Inspired by watching volleyball players using hand signs to communicate within the team, we created our very own hand sign. We call it the Adidas 3 Fingers. Anyone could use it to cheer on the China Women’s Volleyball Team, who were participating in the Olympics. It was a clever way to connect with the team—as encouragement when they lost a game, or as motivation to drive them towards winning more games. Fans did the sign all over social media, and during the matches in Rio, spreading a hand sign created by a brand that wasn't an Olympics partner, during the Olympics.

Every step of the way—from introducing the hand sign to cheering the team on with every match—Adidas created relevant content posts to stay on top of the conversation. We created original artwork that was shared throughout social media to encourage, motivate, and inspire.

Each artwork is uniquely designed by different artists, capturing not only the excitement before each game, but also the exhilaration of every win and hope with each loss.

• Value added to brand

• Value for consumer

• Reach/cultural impact

• Sales

• Achievement against brief

• Other KPIs