GLITCH is both a brand new football boot concept AND a brand new route to market for adidas.

It’s development, design and launch was a closely guarded secret, with all the buzz and hype of a big budget boot release, minus the spend. A core group of influencers were brought on board in the summer, helping to envision, critique and test the boot in advance. They became the voice of the brand and helped launch the product to their peers, friends and fans.

The boots were (and still are) ONLY available for purchase through a dedicated mobile app. This platform opens to purchase through special one-use referral codes. You literally cannot get your hands on these boots unless you are invited by another GLITCH player, adding exclusivity and creating a community around the product – a community fed and managed by influencers, not marketers.

We intentionally started small, with a core group of influencers and urban footballers in London, chosen as the gatekeepers of GLITCH. This allowed the community to grow gradually and organically. By making it exclusive and limited in number, the customer experience was more personal.

Players could book an appointment to try the boots on the pitch (via the app), joined by influencers and fitting advisors. We fed our audience’s desire for instant gratification by making the purchasing process quick and seamless.

Boots could be brought on the move and delivered within 4 hours, anywhere in London. There was 24 hour chat support from the same influencers who were there from the start, with rewards for the most active users.

The app held key customer data and preferences, allowing players to order fresh new designs on release. And it facilitated a three-way dialogue between the brand, the influencers and its customers.

GLITCH trended immediately and boots were in demand from day one. Players took to social media begging for referral codes from their contacts. We made it into the ‘HOT this week’ list in the Apple app store in our first week. We even saw access codes being sold on eBay.

Despite the controlled release, the GLITCH app has had over 50 thousand downloads in the first four months. The codes seeded by our first influencers had a 75% conversion rate to a boot sale and we’ve continued to see an 89% redemption rate on codes being activated.

All without a scrap of media spend, zero advertising or sponsorship & no celebrity endorsement.

GLITCH managed to transform one of football's most recognisable brands into one of its hottest start-ups. It turned the industry upside down, creating a completely new and loyal relationship between a brand and consumer.

This audience isn’t watching TV, following Beckham or reading magazines. They’re on their phones, on the move. We had to find a new way to connect.

So we put the influencers and our mobile technology at the heart of the strategy. We launched with unique and highly relevant social and digital content, created by peers, influencers and home-grown football talent in their city. And doing it all through a device that they take with them everywhere.

This was highly targeted communications, straight to our consumers pocket.

Football is changing – the new breed of player is found in small squads and urban academies. Their idols aren’t premiership players, but freestylers: players that get as much respect for their style of play as their ability to win.

This audience isn’t watching TV, following pro-players or reading magazines. They’re on their phones, on the move, watching YouTube, learning tricks and sharing their skills. They can’t be won over by the usual marketing mix, we had to find a new way to connect.

So we put the influencers and our mobile technology at the heart of the strategy. Launching without any media spend or ads, no big star player and no shops or online stores. Launching with unique and highly relevant social and digital content, created by peers, influencers and home-grown football talent in their city. And doing it all through a mobile device that they take with them everywhere.

Start-up culture is ripe with experimentation and originality. Risk breeds creativity.

But… If you’re a successful, well established company like adidas how do you break with tradition and reap the benefits of change?

By behaving like a start-up and breaking all your own rules.

We said no to stores and built an app to launch the product. Made it mobile first & invite only.

No ads. No media. No big player.

We said yes to co-creating social and digital content with influencers. Yes to exclusivity & community.

Together, we transformed one of football's most recognizable brands into one of its hottest start-ups.