Iris > Case Studies > Embracing Social Engagement: adidas' #THEREWILLBEHATERS Campaign

Embracing Social Engagement: adidas' #THEREWILLBEHATERS Campaign

Applicable Industries

Consumer Goods

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing

About The Customer

The customer in this case study is adidas, a globally recognized sports brand with a rich history of supplying football boots and kits for over 60 years. Known for its quality and innovation, adidas has been a staple in the world of football. However, with the changing dynamics of social engagement around football, the brand was facing a challenge in maintaining its appeal among its key demographic of 17-year-old consumers. Despite its traditional reputation, adidas was being perceived as less fun compared to its newer competitors. The brand needed to reinvent its image and engage with its audience in a fresh and innovative way.

The Challenge

Adidas, a traditional football brand, was facing a significant challenge in maintaining its appeal among its key audience of 17-year-old consumers. Despite its long-standing reputation as a supplier of football boots and kits for over 60 years, the brand was losing ground to newer, seemingly more fun competitors. The modern social engagement around football was changing, and adidas needed to adapt to this shift. The challenge was to reinvent the brand's image and engage with the audience in a way that no other brand had done before. The situation called for a bold and innovative approach to marketing that would resonate with the young audience and reposition adidas as a brand that understands and embraces the modern social dynamics of football.

The Solution

In response to this challenge, adidas, with the help of iris, its newly appointed Lead Global Agency, launched the #THEREWILLBEHATERS campaign. This campaign was a radical departure from conventional marketing strategies as it actively encouraged 'hate'. The campaign included a brutally simple and unexpectedly honest film that preemptively called out the trolls. It was supported by a real-time social response campaign where the brand responded to both positive and negative consumer posts. The brand's role was reframed from a mere kit maker to a 'Supplier of Confidence'. The campaign's strategy was to embrace the abuse and negative comments and turn them into motivation. It recognized that the hate was actually a sign of doing something right, thus instilling confidence in players who were the primary target audience of the campaign.

Operational Impact

The #THEREWILLBEHATERS campaign was a resounding success for adidas. It not only exceeded the set KPIs by a significant margin but also repositioned the brand in the eyes of its key audience. By embracing the negative comments and turning them into motivation, adidas was able to connect with its audience on a deeper level. The campaign's innovative approach to social engagement resonated with the young audience and helped the brand stand out from its competitors. The campaign's success was also recognized by the industry, as evidenced by the multiple awards it won. Overall, the campaign helped adidas reinvent its image and reaffirm its position as a leading football brand.

Quantitative Benefit

The campaign exceeded KPIs by an average of 220%
The campaign film garnered 45 million views over 3 months, far exceeding the KPI of 10 million views
The campaign won a Bronze Cannes Integrated Cyber Lion, a Gold Clio Sport Award, and 5 Campaign BIG Awards in 2015