TBWA\London Hits Gen Z Hotspots to Reinvent the Kit Drop for adidas

To launch adidas’ brand new FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Federation Kits to a gen z audience, TBWA\London ditched the classic superstar reveal kit drop. Instead,  the kits were hidden in plain sight in gen z cultural hotspots around the globe where fans could discover them for themselves,  giving the audience ownership of the launch. 

The reveals would therefore act as the unofficial launch of adidas’ official World Cup kits, and the first time the new designs were seen by the public.

In Japan, the kits appeared in specially commissioned editions of major Manga comics Blue Lock and Giant Killing. In Argentina, the kit was hidden on the wall of the national team’s favourite barbershop. In Mexico, it was worn by a chef at a famous Taco shop. 

The global activation played on the huge culture of football leaks and fakes within social media to engage Gen Z consumers in their own worlds.

For two months adidas said nothing, and conversation raged across the footballing world. To reveal that adidas was behind the launch, TBWA\London worked with all seven local markets to create a high-energy film bringing all of the drops together in one place. To add authenticity and personality, high-level influencers from the regions were filmed revealing the hidden kits while Spanish national team footballers Pedri and Ferran Torres were over-layed messaging each other, wondering how they missed the launches and how they could get their kits. 

Matt Davidson, the head of global football brand marketing at adidas, said, “Culture became our secret weapon. Gen-z is gen-z first, national identity second. They don’t follow the rules set by generations before them so we used the global stage to shine a light on the culture they are shaping at the crossroad with Football."