Adidas are rising high to tip-off Basketball in 2007. Having recently signed an 11 year exclusive global merchandising contract with the NBA, the WNBA and the NBA development league, Adidas are no longer move-faking in the basketball market and are setting to air walk all over the competition with the help of 180
Building on last season’s successful launch of their global basketball movement - “Believe in 5IVE” - and the idea of believing in “We” and not “Me,” Adidas and 180 announced the continuing evolution of this new philosophy with “Basketball is a Brotherhood”. NBA All-Stars Gilbert Arenas, Chauncey Billups, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard and Tracy McGrady are all featured in the multi-platform campaign which focuses on the real life moments when players shift from individuals, and form the bonds of a team.
The integrated strategy includes Team Signature footwear and consists of TV, digital, mobile, print and retail components with the campaign centering around an 11 episode web series found at www.adidasbasketball.com. The primarily led digital creative is beefed up with some clever mobile phone interactive, challenging consumers to become ‘part of the brotherhood’.
According to Adidas “'Basketball is a Brotherhood' is the integrated, digitally led marketing and advertising revolution that does something no other brand has done: it allows today’s greatest players to interact and inspire the next generation of athletes, putting them side-by-side on and off the court. This season the consumer will be able to go to www.adidasbasketball.com and experience Adidas Basketball through a series of web episodes and other creative on-line activties that show the true meaning of Brotherhood.”
“This campaign captures the beauty of basketball by showing what’s possible when players become a tight unit, a family, a brotherhood. When that happens, you’re unstoppable” says William Gelner, Executive Creative Director at 180 LA. “Look at the Spurs of today or the Lakers and Celtics of the 80’s. Great basketball is now, and has always been, about team.”
The Brotherhood campaign continues the Adidas tradition of showcasing elite level athletes alongside “real-life” players and kids, inspiring and enabling them to achieve their impossible. Adidas Team Signature products launched for retail on the 26th October 2007.
