No bullshit, just Anthony Edwards
How adidas leaned into his personality
If you were to do a power ranking of basketball sneaker brands, there isn’t much debate on the top spot. Since the Jordan 1s came out, and into the early 90s, the crown has been comfortably sitting on Nikes' head. Adidas had some threatening moments, especially when they had a young Kobe and a healthy T-Mac as signature athletes. But when Kobe left them for Nike, that was game, set, and match.
Nike took a gamble on a 22-year-old, in 1985 which ended up changing the industry (for those unsure, that gamble was on Michael Jordan). If there is going to be change at the top, it will be rewarded to a brand that’s willing to take a risk and execute with precision. This is exactly what adidas has done with one of the most marketable athletes on the planet right now (minus a few Instagram mishaps), Anthony Edwards.
Before we get into this, what makes Anthony Edwards so marketable?
He’s an unbelievable basketballer and the best 22 year old in the world
He’s an unbelievable athlete. He potentially could have been a two-sport athlete
He has the ego. To quote Ari Gold - ‘The bigger the ego, the bigger the star.’
Anytime Ant steps on the court, he thinks he’s the best player on that floor.
(see clip above)He has a charm.
He’s authentically him. His stardom doesn’t feel as contrived as some other players.
And more importantly, he has a personality.
And this last point is where Adidas got it right.
They leaned into what makes Ant, Ant.
Paul George is on the record saying, he should be mic’d up at all times and it feels this is what adi have done.
Here’s what adidas did for that release:
First they teased the campaign (very well might I add) and to celebrate the launch, adidas Basketball and Anthony Edwards activated his local community by hosting a homecoming celebration in Anthony’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.
What we saw from the homecoming event:
They gave him a distinctive colour, peach.
They gave him a unique product that was designed from scratch.
They gave him a tagline.
Then the campaign dropped:
And they gave him the chance to be him.
This type of campaign wouldn’t work for every athlete. The modern athlete is more often than not, worried about saying the right thing. How many times have you heard the same mundane answer after each game? Today's athletes are put on a pedestal where they want to avoid any controversies, which often means hiding their true thoughts. I would say that there are only a handful in the world right now - if that, who could pull off a campaign that solely relied on personality.
If somebody told me it was completely unscripted, I would believe them. And this is also a challenge when working with global stars, making it feel authentic.
This campaign is completely honest, there’s no bullshit. I love the peek into Ant Edwards, the human (rather than only the superstar). Watching this campaign, it’s simple but it’s authentic. adi know what they are doing and mark my words, they look like they are coming for that no.1 spot, and I’m here for it!
Believe That.
Thanks for reading.