Dreaming Together

It might look like that we at the Reel have a slight penchant for writing about Mr Dassler and his three stripes and some would call us biased… however the boys and girls at 180 Amsterdam have created another neat campaign that warrants a little more than a few lines of prose.

So we thought we would write another little feature on the blighters!

The new project titled ‘Dream Big’ sees the world’s biggest influential football stars mixing with the world's smallest and most inconsequential teams and continues the tradition of showcasing elite level athletes alongside real people – inspiring them to go further.

The emphasis shifting from the obvious obtuse choice of UEFA EURO 2008 to lesser known football teams is a welcome one and allows adidas to demonstrate that they care about the little people as much as they do about the big money / fanfare events.

180’s campaign aims to show us all that anyone can ‘Dream Big’ no matter their ranking, as Kaka, Messi, Gerrard and Beckham are sent out on missions to Andorra, San Marino and the Isles of Scilly. Here the mega stars set out coaching local teams whose reputations are in the doldrums and in doing so evoke the adidas mantra ‘impossible is nothing’.


180 worked with youth teams in each of the three locations to take part in what they thought was a straight forward documentary about football – and were totally unaware of the professional players involvement. The surprise element led to some charming and real moments between the players and the aspiring kids.

San Marino is one of the lowest ranked teams in Europe and is treated to a coaching visit from Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Robin Van Persie. The second location in the series sees adidas stars sharing their knowledge in the world's smallest football competition. Just two teams make up the isle of Scilly league and the young players there could use some outside help. Much to the surprise of locals and young players alike a few world renowned players turn up to lend a hand and give some valuable insight.

In the third location a bunch of talented Juniors from Andorra set off on a road trip of a lifetime to the Spanish capital of Madrid. Uber-pro help arrives in the form of Jose Mourinho (tickled by the idea of helping the 179th ranked country in the world) who involves them in a special coaching session with the future of Andorran football before sending the boys off on their journey. They are joined by Lionel Messi, David Villa, Lukas Podlski and Arjen Robben, and the journey of a lifetime climaxes in a packed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Another great example of a fearless idea executed with charm and polish subtly fortified by great direction from Johan Kramer, Marco Grandia and Richard Bullock respectively … Sports brands take note!