To build on two record-breaking years in the face of growing competition and complex market dynamics, adidas Originals had to break from its reliance on individual products like Superstar and NMD, and elevate the entire brand.

With the word ‘Original’ in its very name, the brand made a provocative statement about originality on behalf of today’s streetwear influencers. The campaign served as a powerful demonstration of reinvention that unified key markets, took over the conversation in streetwear, and sold more shoes than any in the history of Originals.

The Idea:

As the brand that takes from its past to create the future of sports-inspired streetwear, we felt we had license to do what no other brand could: prove that “original” doesn’t come from a vacuum, but a collection of influences. To do this, we would have to create a wholly original campaign - that didn’t try to be original.

We created an ode to reinvention through a multi-channel effort, carefully plotted around consumer behavior and culturally relevant moments of the year.

The Results:

The campaign film became Youtube’s 7th most-watched ad of 2017

It drove unprecedented increases in ad engagement and view rates

The brand was the most talked about on Twitter thanks to our launch during the grammys

The campaign generated stronger advocacy for Originals. NPS - the global internal tool that calculates advocates versus detractors of a brand - improved significantly in all markets during the campaign period.

Traffic to the adidas Originals eccommerce platform increased markedly in our key markets and spiked during the campaign.

And ultimately, we saw massive sales increases in our key markets that far outpaced category growth.

The statement served as a powerful demonstration of reinvention that unified key markets, showing measurable success around the globe, and proving that it was a truly universal insight and point of view. The campaign took over the conversation in streetwear, and sold more shoes than any in the history of Originals.