Adidas’ launched ‘GMR’: a wearable tech product designed to helps football fans earns points on EA FIFA Mobile which links real-world football with soccer gaming.
‘GMR’ (pronounced ‘gamer’), available in-store and online, is a tech-linked boot/trainer chipped smart tag for an insole which uses Google Jacquard technology to track the wearer/player’s speed, distance, shot power and passes data and to sync this directly to the user’s EA FIFA Mobile team (a game now played by 300 million people worldwide).
Adidas teamed up with Adam&Eve/DDB to promote the new physical/digital devise through a dynamic, futuristic campaign which encourages gamers and amateur football players to ‘Play Connected’.
To drive participation and PR around the launch, Adidas hid the new tech product in stores around the world and challenged gamers and footballers to find them.
The hero TV commercial stars Argentina and Juventus forward Paulo Dybala and sees two people compete for the best team rating on FIFA Mobile by participating in a series of real-world challenges to prove their skill and earn digital gaming rewards.
This spearhead spot is supported by a product demonstration film, plus ‘skills videos’ explaining how GMR works.
Further support content includes an online ad showing footballers hiding GMR tech inside boots around the world, while the agency also worked with Adidas on everything from product design and packaging, to in-game functions, visuals and branding.
“Adidas GMR marks an exciting new era in sports innovation where digital and real world football overlap,” said Florian Alt, Adidas VP Marketing Florian Alt.
“By exploring and challenging traditional approaches to product development, alongside Jacquard by Google and EA Sports FIFA Mobile, we have been able to equip players with a whole new way to use their creativity for the betterment of sport.”
“Making in-game currency from your real-world skills and movement is wearable tech at its best,” added Adam&Eve/DDB Joint CEO Mat Goff.
The campaign launched on 11 March and was created for Adidas by a team at agency Adam & Eve/DDB which included Joint CEO Mat Goff, Chief Creative Officer, Richard Brim, Creative Directors Simon Vicars and Andre Sallowicz, Creatives Simone Wärme and Jeppe Vidstrup, Chief Production Officer Anthony Falco, Agency Producer Mondi Howard, Chief Strategy Officer Martin Beverley, Planning Director David Mortimer, Planner ShuHan Lee, Business Director James Derrick, Account Directors Josh Smith and Kathryn Gooding and Project Manager Ian Hughes.
The design agency was King Henry Studio, the production company was Blink and the director was Pedro Martin-Calero.
Comment:
There is a recognition here of the strong connection between a love of football gaming and a love of playing football.
There is also an attempt to create an Adidas ecosystem: one in which fans/customers remain engaged with the brand through football on the pitch and football on their mobile screen.
It is another example of gamifying brand interaction: which has both data-gathering and loyalty-through-engagement benefits. Which is being further boosted by weekly challenges.
Plus the fast, dynamic spot is pretty nifty too.
This kind of physical/digital crossover reminds us a little of other Adidas EA gaming-related projects such as its NHL ‘Take Notice’ initiative in January 2020 (see case study) as the trend for blend real-life sport and in-game eSport continues apace.
Links:
Adidas GMR
Adidas
https://www.youtube.com/user/adidas
https://www.facebook.com/adidas
https://www.instagram.com/adidas/
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
Adam&Eve/DDB
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