To introduce its new home kit for the 2019/20 season, Arsenal FC and new kit supplier adidas rolled out a distinctly London and local language focused launch campaign.
After ending its previous association with Puma, the design of the new strip itself is a nod to the adidas shirts of the past, but with a modern twist and the spearhead launch spot carries a message of inclusivity.
The campaign , developed by agency Iris, was spearheaded by a lead film called ‘This is Home’ fronted by former player and goal scoring legend Ian Wright and it shows how first team players from all around the world feel at home in London and at Arsenal.
The idea is that they are such a part of the fabric of the club and the community that they have all adopted North London accents and linguistic idiosyncrasies.
Mirroring those of authentic, local Arsenal fans.
As well as Wright, the video features current and former players (including Ian Wright , Tony Adams , Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang , Mesut Ozil, Vivianne Miedema and Mattéo Guendouzi) and real fans (such as Idris Elba).
The kit launch hero video is amplified across both the club’s online channels,
on Ian Wright’s own social channels,
and on adidas’ platforms too.
You’re not born a Londoner, you’re made one.
Introducing the 2019/20 @Arsenal Home kit, exclusively available through https://t.co/n8NgGZFg4Y and official club stores.#DareToCreate pic.twitter.com/YNnyh3yCQB— adidas UK (@adidasUK) July 1, 2019
The spearhead spot is supported by an additional ‘Same Stripes, New Hype’ blended real footage and animation spot with North London street map graphics
and a ‘Players Shoot’ film
SO MUCH SAUCE@adidasfootball@arsenal
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) July 2, 2019
and a paired behind-the-scenes spot too.
These lead videos are backed by a range of OOH across London (including a ‘Tube Takeover’ at Highbury & Islington, Camden & King’s Cross stations – the nearest to the team’s stadium), as well as a range of retail assets and a wrap cover in London’s Evening Standard daily newspaper.
Plus there is a set of additional social content support pieces: including both additional video, graphics and photography.
Rollin’ back the years
Let’s make more memories like these @adidasfootball@arsenal
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) July 1, 2019
THIS IS HOME@adidasfootball #DareToCreate
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) July 2, 2019
Welcome home, @adidasfootball
Like the look of our new home kit? You can get yours right here
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) July 1, 2019
“Arsenal has always had a unique culture that has seen them at the forefront of innovation, redefining the game, while staying true to their core values. We’re excited to be a part of that and, of course, delivering iconic kits that Arsenal fans love,” commented adidas Football General Manager Nick Craggs.
While Arsenal Managing Director Vinai Venkatesham added: “adidas’ core values mirror ours, they’re progressive and innovative and their bold ambitions for the club and the partnership are aligned with our own. We’re excited to have adidas by our side as we continue to develop and push boundaries together both on and off the field, the Arsenal way”.
The campaign was developed by a team from creative agency Iris and included creative directors Henry Scotland and Rachid Ahouiyek, creatives Jonny Marsh and Charlie darker, executive producer Michael Hanney, producer Nadia Black, account director Theo Jenkins and account manager Lottie Tonks.
The production company was Somesuch and the production company producer was Shion Hayasaka and the PM was Charlie Lodder. The director was Rollo Jackson. Offline was handled by Ryan Boucher at The Whitehouse, with grade worked on by Luke Morrison and Flame by Iain Murray both at @ ETC aand the post producer was Antonia Vlasto.
Audio was by GCRS with audio producers Sarah King and Ciara Wakley and audio engineer Gary Turnbull.
Comment:
A nice tonal approach to addressing the issue of a local club packed with players from other countries, this launch campaign seeks to blend the international and local dimensions of the contemporary Premier League.
What North London rivals Tottenham might have to say about Arsenal’s claims to owning North London remains to be seen.
However, the Adidas UK kit launch work didn’t go entirely smoothly as one social media strand of its Arsenal kit campaign backfired and saw the sportswear giant tweeted out pictures of its shirts with racist and offensive slogans on the back.
Adidas’ social #DareToCreate activity included encouraging fans to share a tweet advertising the new kit using the hashtag which then automatically created an image of the new Arsenal strip emblazoned with the Twitter handle of the user’s account along with the message ‘This is home. Welcome to the squad’ (and a call-to-purchase the kit) which was tweeted out by the official @AdidasUK account.
It did not appear that this automated strand of the campaign had been programmed to filter out offensive words or phrases and, within hours, the brand’s account had sent messages and pictures of shirts containing racist and anti-Semitic language (as so often happened when using unmonitored, aautomated social bots).
One jersey read ‘InnocentHitler’ and others featured hate speech against Jews and blacks.
For posterity: pic.twitter.com/wN47qoG0Ai
— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) July 2, 2019
Within a few hours the brand erased the tweets and halted the bot.
Adidas said in a statement that users had abused a Twitter personalization mechanic: “Due to a small minority creating offensive versions of this we have immediately turned off the functionality and the Twitter team will be investigating.”
There are echoes here of the backlash that surrounded Coca-Cola’s ‘make It Happy’ bot-led Super Bowl social campaign in 2017 (see case study).
When will marketers ever learn to stop chasing the metrics that bots can bring and think more carefully and be more responsible about their campaigns?
This new 2019/20 home kit kicks off the new tie-up between adidas and Arsenal: one that sets out to try and elevate the club both on and off the field.
The Gunners previously had adidas kits between 1986 and 1994 before switching to Nike and then to Puma’s who’s five-year contract came to a close at the end of last season.
The new deal was announced in the Spring as Arsenal and the German sportswear giant penned a £40m-per-year
The new adidas deal started in July 2019 and is reported to be worth £300m over five years and will run from next season until 2024 (making the Arsenal/adidas deal the third in the most lucrative kit deal in football after Barcelona’s tie up with Nike and Manchester United’s deal with Adidas which are worth £140m and £75m a year respectively.
Links:
Arsenal
https://www.youtube.com/user/ArsenalTour
https://www.facebook.com/Arsenal
https://www.instagram.com/arsenal/
Adidas Football
https://www.adidas.com/football
https://www.youtube.com/user/adidasfootballtv
https://www.instagram.com/adidasfootball/
https://twitter.com/adidasfootball
https://www.facebook.com/adidasfootball
Iris
http://www.iris-worldwide.com/
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