Adidas Ultraboost 22 follows script by redirecting energy from flagship trainer – ARCH-USA
Debbie T. Williamson 4 min read
A few years ago, I developed the concept
I contacted the marketing teams to get advice from the brands. My goal was to change the method of storytelling and showcase both designers and athletes instead of relying heavily on sneaker blogs that mostly focused on the end result, the product. ENDEARS is a method for building the story of a brand, a product, a designer and an athlete, to inform fans and give them a better insight into the creation process. There are a million brands in the market, what makes them stand out from each other? What will the potential consumer love? I was able to follow the visits to the page and see the brands reading the content. Soon after sharing my concept, I started to see an improvement in the way “news” and brand content was handled. Today almost all brands use a CMS to keep information flowing and to compensate for static websites. What is ENDEARS?
Educate the consumer and the athlete on the current process (internal education and external education).
To note and document the creation process and the discovery process (the athlete is educated and shares a more informed story through their social network and the company shares the story through their site).
Designate is just as important as the athlete. The story of how the idea was generated is shared and analyzed by the company’s content creators (designer and athlete create a three-person content distribution team).
To entertain the consumer with important facts. The assumption that the consumer can be affecting with a poster or by the word of the athlete is a myth in today’s environment. The consumer is intelligent and if he is treated as such, he gains respect for creation.
Athlete or artist or advocate, whoever is in the development process all must get the message across. This is an extension of the rating process.
Raison with the consumer and giving raison, what has been created is important and the consumer can buy it. At least you (the brand in this case) are creating the likelihood that the consumer will be engaged.
Story it’s essential. The whole process is the story and the end result, whether a product, mission or idea is passed down through the process and the story that the process created.
Why am I leading with what is fundamentally self-advertising? Watch the video below.
I wrote another article this morning about adidas appearing on HBO’s “Insecure” show. In this article, I explained the placement of adidas and third-party site StockX in a show on 30 something Black women sought to connect with an underserved female audience. When I discovered the above video about redirecting UltraBoost 22, it reminded me of a post I wrote on UB 21:
Adidas to exit traditional sneaker retail with UltraBoost 21
In this article I wrote: “I think this model should be aimed at specialist racing stores and the UltraBoost should never be treated as a crossover product again. If the model shifts to sneaker culture organically, that’s fine. It shouldn’t be associated with pop culture collaborations, and it shouldn’t be given to pop stars or artists to try and generate cool. It should be used in direct marketing strategies for new riders and made available with a flow of training initiatives.
Forced or opportunistic contraction? Empty shelves at Sneaker Retail
The UltraBoost 22 has been completely redesigned. adidas is targeting women and it is a smart move as brands like Lululemon have significantly encroached on the growing female athlete market. With startups like Vuori, Gymshark and a host of smaller brands making a sincere effort to capture women, adidas has smartly changed direction with its flagship. The shoe had fallen into a cohesive promotional environment when it was aimed at men. With its new campaign, featuring an all-female design team and focused on bringing running to more women, the brand is removing the product from the hype and collaborations aimed at men who aren’t as focused. on fitness or fashion in most cases. Women are open to learning more about the benefits. They want to see each other. In the marketing of this redefined UltraBoost 22, athlete is profiled, Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, images of women running in burqas are displayed and several slogans are uttered. The most prominent line is “Tailored to Us,” a call to celebrate women with a design meant to elevate their performance. This is the job adidas did from 2015 to 2017 before the brand lost its momentum. It’s a good thing to see. ULTRABOOST 22: CREATED BY WOMEN FOR THE WOMEN’S RUNNING COMMUNITY (adidas.com)
