Why adidas Is Redefining the Great Outdoors

The new adidas TERREX campaign began with a familiar feeling for a seasoned creative like Iris associate creative director Eve Anthony. When she and her team began moving towards an idea for the outdoor clothing range, an opportunity clearly presented itself.

“Looking at the category, everything felt the same,” she says. “The same visuals, the same narrative, the same expectation. We wanted to change that by opening things up and painting a realistic portrait of the outdoors in all its inclusive glory.” 

The route forward was exciting – finding outdoor stories from people who the category has ignored, reframing what the great outdoors means to different people, all of whom are ‘United by Summits’. “We all have our own ambitions, achievements and inspirations,” says Eve. “In short, we all have our own summits to reach and we all take our own steps to reach them. This is something which unites us.” 

It was important to create something which helped in demystifying the outdoors to those who usually go unrepresented in the outdoor space. The series of films that make up the campaign are there to welcome. “Allowing people to feel comfortable enough to not only know that they are welcome in those spaces but also that there are people like them in those spaces,” says Eve.

“There is power in being seen, there is power in shared experiences and there is power in being heard. This campaign wanted to give the people featured their power, while simultaneously empowering us all to enjoy the outdoors.” 

To achieve that, Eve and her team approached each story authentically. “It wasn’t about us talking at people but having them talk to us and share their experiences,” she says. But as a group of people from an advertising agency they couldn’t just tell people what they wanted to see. “Yes, that also means calling us out if they felt we had gotten certain things wrong and I think that’s what makes the end result so impactful,” she adds.

In the process of capturing different groups’ stories, this happened. While working with the Adaptive Climbing Group – an inspiring paraclimbing community with a shared vision to make rock climbing truly accessible to everyone. “A lot of the time, when people look at inclusion they tend to force a narrative that makes things appear more palatable or they insert their views onto the other person’s experience,” says Eve. “For example, with the Adaptive Climbing Group (ACG) when we first approached the group, the way the conversation was framed was from an angle of bravery and overcoming struggle. The group rightly pulled us up on it and told us, they climb because they can and because they want to. They do not look at things as a struggle, so who are we to tell them experience was one of struggle? It is in these authentic conversations that there is growth and learning. You have to listen rather than trying to fit everyone into these boxes.” 

Another film in the ‘United by Summits’ series zooms in on Camp Yoshi – a group based in Portland, Oregon, that’s demystifying the outdoors for BIPOC and allies. The collective leads outdoor adventures to help people connect with nature and look inwards, “breaking the wave of the city current”. These trips into the wilderness speak to shared experiences, creating a community of belonging and acceptance.​

Eve loved telling the story of Camp Yoshi. “We were able to get to the heart of some of the issues surrounding the outdoors and the generational traumas and legacies that have been passed down through the Black and Brown outdoor experience,” she says. “It was great to be able to experience the outdoors while having your apprehensions and the reasons for your apprehensions be acknowledged.” 

There are five other communities profiled in the series. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_YXpKjHrj5sUxrpXx2ChO_C14IkBiYf_ “I could go on about all the films and why they were so beautiful,” says Eve. She rattles off why each was emotional, from ‘The Freedom to Wander Law’ allowing people to connect with the outdoors and learn to respect nature and its inhabitants, the BMX film and overcoming segregation, the trail running film and the belief in one’s self, the mountaineering film and the healing power of bonding. “They are all such authentic pieces and it was both an honour and a privilege to be let into the worlds,” she says.

Having entered into a conversation with these communities and used this advertising campaign to celebrate them, Eve reflects on the adidas mission statement – ‘through sport we have the power to change lives’. “I truly believe that these films and the individual stories within them embody that statement,” she says.