The client:

Adidas AG is a multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, which designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. The company was started by Adolf Dassler in his mother’s house and has grown to be a multi-billion pound company and the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe.

The challenge:

The yearly NBA All-Star Weekend is one of the noisiest moments in the global sport and cultural calendar. adidas’ objective was to launch 747 Warehouse St in Los Angeles into the forefront of everyone’s minds through a bold, unapologetic and customisable brand identity and incredible activations that appeal as much to the celebrities and press as it did to consumers.

The strategy:

Superimpose Studio led the creative concept and art direction of a ‘’No Rules’ approach that drove the brand language and visual identity across this competitive period – setting it apart from the usual NBA All-Star Weekend offerings and cementing the legacy of adidas as a creator’s brand.

The anti-corporate aesthetic was carried throughout the entire space and was adapted for various purposes by multiple stakeholders whilst influencing the underlying attitude.

Mimicking a sticker pack of assets, the experience was created purposefully to allow visual elements to stand alone as well as integrate with each other. Treating graphics and iconography as ‘collectables’, attendees could create their own versions of 747 Warehouse St merchandise and apparel. The bespoke 747 Warehouse St branding was adapted for all merchandise, from welcome packs to hoodies and celebrity specials. Customisation stations created with our modular branding allowed attendees to create their own through touch screen monitors, creating personal variations they could keep.

The design aesthetic was continued through to the packaging, including at the speed factory, where customers could create their very own trainer. The emphasis was on highlighting that adidas trainers were made nearby with semi-autonomous robots, therefore cutting lead times, shipping costs and carbon emissions. This inspired the ‘fresh produce’ graphic based on fruit box packaging, which the trainers were presented in. Its use of bright colours and bold graphics, reflecting the typical design of a fresh fruit box, but customised to fit in with the adidas brand.

The result:

The two day event in LA was part of adidas’ campaign to make it be thought of as the number one brand in sport culture and through Superimpose’s support with the activation managed:

• 400+ media credentialed onsite producing 400+ stories

• Approx. 20,000 attendees