The Myth Of Adidas

We are falling in love with rugby. Well, if not the actual sport, then just the advertising. Featuring the New Zealand team The All Blacks (who are favored to win this year’s World Cup), the new commercial above dives headlong into a ritual performed by the team called Haka – a traditional Maori incantation. The one below focuses on their very much warrior like game play. These new spots from Adidas play on “the great myth” which we were jiving about earlier. Sports marketing in general is naturally suited to play on these themes such as that of the hero’s journey (over coming personal/inner struggle to succeed). If you’ve ever seen the first three films released in the Star Wars saga, you know exactly what we’re talking about. Joesph Campbell and others have argued that myths are the ties that bind throughout culture and we don’t disagree. They certainly make great advertising. Proof? The ad below has been posted over twenty times on YouTube with millions of views.

Eric Liedtke, senior vice-president global brand marketing at Adidas, said: “We believe that by giving everyone a glimpse behind the scenes of the lives of these athletes, we really will be encouraging them to attempt their own journey.”

Smart man. Uli Becker, Head of Global Marketing for the Reebok Brand, should steal this guy and fire everyone on the Reebok marketing team.