This campaign was led by a well orchestrated collaboration between strategy, research, creative and PR.

As the research revealed the problem we had to solve was beyond the swimwear category and this required and in-depth understanding of the audience, their barriers and motivations to approach water with confidence.

With that in place, all that was left to be done was a stand-out execution that would become fuel for public conversations and travel on its own, triggering social influence and generating earned media.

SWIMWEAR CATEGORY IS NOT INCLUSIVE OF WOMEN IN MENA.

Despite the MENA region being surrounded by beautiful beaches and pools, water activities have a limited appeal to women.

Whilst other sports have adapted their product ranges to cater to the needs of women in MENA, the swimwear category hasn’t. Even with Nike’s launch of a modest swimwear collection for women back in 2019, more than 75% of women in MENA found the swimwear offering irrelevant to them.

adidas believes that sports belong to all.

On our mission to strive for inclusivity and closing the gender gap in sports, the brand created a new line of modest swimwear designed to achieve the perfect balance of fit, features and coverage.

The goal was to offer swimwear for all women in MENA regardless of shape, ability or belief, because nobody should be prevented from enjoying the benefits of being in and around water.

A CULTURAL BARRIER THAT TRANSCENDS PRODUCT AVAILABILITY

While globally, 32% of women don’t feel comfortable wearing a swimsuit at a public beach or pool, in MENA the number is 88% (almost 3 times higher)!

So, the availability of inclusive swimwear alone wouldn’t solve the problem of women in the region not participating in water activities.

How could our new inclusive line speak to the consumers who were reluctant to go around water and inspire them to embrace water with confidence?

INSIGHT: UNIVERSALLY, WATER REPRESENTS FREEDOM.

BUT, FOR MOST WOMEN IN MENA, WATER REPRESENTS BARRIERS, LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS.

Water is a place that accepts you regardless of your age, weight, height, ethnicity, religion or ability. Water has no constrains, it defies restrictions and makes you feel free.

Our target audience was inclusive of all women in the MENA region. Through a commissioned study we revealed 4 principles that would help us resonate with them and inspire them to take part in water sports and activities:

1) THEY DON’T NEED TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO => THEY WANT TO BE INSPIRED

2) WE DON’T NEED TO SAY HOW SPECIAL THEY ARE => SHOW THEM AS THEY ARE

3) THEY DON’T NEED OUR VOICE => THEY WANT A PLATFORM TO SHARE THEIRS

4) THEY DON’T NEED ROLE MODELS => THEY NEED TO SEE WOMEN LIKE THEM

For most women in MENA, water is something that holds them back due to lack of body confidence often fueled by media and advertising.

• 62% of women believe the media creates an unattainable body image of female swimmers.

• 54% of women feel uncomfortable with their bodies

• 49% fear being judged by their appearance in swimsuits

CREATIVE STRATEGY: TURNING MEDIA FROM A PLACE OF STEREOTYPES INTO AN INCLUSIVITY ICON.

CREATIVE IDEA: Liquid Billboard - the world’s first swimmable media space as a symbol of inclusivity and liberation for women in water.

5-meters high and 3-meters deep billboard filled with 11,500 gallons of water. We placed the transparent billboard at one of the most visited beaches of the region, a place women associate with restrictions and judgment, and invited the women of UAE to take a public leap of faith into its depth and dive beyond the surface.

CAMPAIGN IMPACT:

• Reach: 350+ million (KPI was 60 million), reaching +60 countries across 6 continents

• Engagement: 18% (KPI was 7%)

• Positive Sentiment: 97% (KPI was 60%)

• $6 million earned media

BEHAVIORAL IMPACT:

The campaign created a positive behavioral impact by more women embracing water with confidence.

• 36% of women exposed to the campaign in MENA now feel more comfortable wearing a swimsuit in public (from 12% initially).

COMMERCIAL IMPACT:

• Sell-through: 70% in 4 weeks, vs the objective of 40%

• E-commerce visits: 51,751 visits on inclusive swimwear portal in 4 weeks (KPI was 25,000 visits)

• Share-of-search: 28%, hitting the yearly target in just 4 weeks (KPI was 20%)

It became the most talked about campaign by adidas Middle East. Moreover, what started as a purpose-led initiative in the region became a global conversation about women inclusion in water sports.

MENA region is surrounded by beautiful beaches and pools to enjoy. But, despite the plethora of water activities for sport or leisure, women rarely take part, due to barriers that make them hesitant to go in water.

Being raised in a society where swimming isn’t widely accepted as appropriate for women, they lack the motivation to step into water. In addition, they are surrounded by ads with models and professional athletes wearing non-inclusive swimwear that’s not suitable for women in the region, which further affected their body confidence.

In addition, due to the presence of gender inequality in the region, more so than the world, this subject has been over-communicated by brands, to the point of abuse. It is perceived as an opportunistic topic, making women feel that their struggles and challenges are just a springboard for brands to benefit from.