Adidas in India has launched a unique footwear initiative focusing on the needs of para-athletes: the ‘Odds’ is essentially a pair of shoes for the same foot.
The project emanated from a simple insight from the sportswear giant’s agency team at Taproot Dentsu India: that many para-athletes, specifically blade runners, need a pair of shoes from the same side (two lefts or two rights) rather than the generic left/right pair sold to consumers.
‘Odds’ features the Adidas Mana Bounce shoe from its 2017 Fall Winter range and, depending upon the specific customer’s need, athletes can either choose to buy a pair of shoes for the right foot or a pair of shoes for the left foot and this pair product is available for purchase via www.shop.adidas.co.in
The initiative’s marketing campaign is positioned an ode to all athletes in the world who choose to run against the odds.
It is led by a set of inspiring pair of films – one telling a specific story and the other a more generic spot.
The launch film is fronted by India’s first blade runner Major DP Singh and is narrated by actor Kabir Bedi. It captures marathon runner Singh’s life, his war heroism, his challenges and his passion for running.
Singh believes that ‘Losing a part of the body does not lead to disability. Losing the will to fight out odds, does. Celebrate odds and be the winner. If you wish to give up anything, give up giving up. That’s the message I wish to give everyone. And that’s the reason I run every day’.
This first video in the series rolled out in the first week of September as the Rio 2016 Paralympics got under way.
This was followed by a second spot on 15 September – one more focused on the ‘Odds’ special edition shoes offering – with the shoes themselves narrating the creative.
‘At Adidas we live a simple principle, ‘No Athlete Left Behind’, and this philosophy is at the heart of Odds By Adidas,’ explains Adidas India senior marketing director Damyant Singh.
‘It is our way of encouraging and cheering para-athletes on to achieving their best on the field of play and we hope Major DP Singh’s story inspires many more to live their dreams and prove that Sports has the power to change lives.’
In addition to using interest around the Paralympics in Rio to celebrate this courageous community, the objective of this initiative is to tell an inspiring story that will lead a change in consumer behaviour.
‘I felt that a film on Major DP Singh’s life, would definitely motivate common people to get into some form of sport or physical activity,’ adds Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer, Taproot Dentsu India.
‘So our intention was to get this dual messaging through with this single campaign.’
‘Celebrating impossibly glorious feats makes all of us strive harder and look beyond our limitations. Such is the power of this story-telling’, continues Taproot Dentsu CEO Umesh Shrikhande.
Comment
Just as some consumer were beginning to feel that the traditional inspirational storytelling spot approach of the big sportswear brands was starting to wane, this powerful and practical initiative certainly leaves an impression.
Even through the campaign also works as a promotional push for a new sports shoe line, it will touch many viewers and it certainly feels both positive and practical.
This is another sports brand campaign that seems to illustrate that big budget sportswear brands are reacting to/helping drive a social-cultural and attitudinal shift in the Indian sports landscape.
Other examples of this trend include Nike’s recent ‘Da Da Ding’ campaign championing women’s sport (see case study) and Team India’s insurer sponsor Edelweiss’ multi-platform #iAmTeamIndia Rio 2016 campaign that is part of a mainstream push in a sports landscape so long dominated by cricket (see case study).
Links
Adidas India Shop:
Adidas India Web:
Taproot Dentsu YouTube:
