Adidas does activewear: Key takeaways
- Adidas pairs three professional athletes with three entertainers, giving Originals Sport both athletic credibility and broader lifestyle appeal
- The all-Chinese, all-female cast forms part of a deeper localisation strategy, extending into 20 community sports classes across seven cities
- Adidas is entering an increasingly crowded activewear market, but matching Lululemon’s community-building advantage will require sustained investment beyond this launch
Adidas Originals is running a campaign for the release of its Originals Sport line. It features half a dozen star athletes and high-profile celebrities, comes localised for China, and carries a very strong female focus.
Three films pair six famous faces as workout partners. Basketball player Yang Shuyu (杨舒予) trains with singer Song Yuqi (宋雨琦). Hurdler Wu Yanni (吴艳妮) joins actress Ma Sichun (马思纯) for a running class. Tennis player Wang Xinyu (王欣瑜) and musician Ouyang Nana (欧阳娜娜) take to the court in matching green and white.
Forced-perspective shots make each duo appear to interact across separate spaces. The athletes demonstrate their skill to bring sporting authority. Their celeb partners offer us non-professionals relatable reference points.
This was a conscious effort at localisation
It’s important to note the films have an all-Chinese cast. This was a conscious effort at localisation. Globally, the line was launched with Tate McRae, Emilia Mernes, and volleyball player Harper Murray. For China they swapped in local faces and added a fictional sports school.
The Trefoil Sports School (三叶草体校) – setting for the films’ athletic prowess – also fits as part of an offline activation. Adidas has partnered with sports communities in seven Chinese cities to stage 20 classes. Activities include outdoor table tennis, vintage-inspired tennis, tea-themed barre and graffiti roundnet.
The films’ forced-perspective visual trick also gets an offline deployment on screens at Chengdu’s Twin Towers and Shanghai’s West Bund Tank Art Centre where the women gracefully drift between buildings’ facades.
The Dao view: An activewear gambit? Adidas, not you too…
So why all women? Why sports? It looks like this is yet another brand trying to nibble off a share of China’s activewear market. Alo launched on Tmall this month. Vuori is on an expansion mission. NikeSKIMS is opening a store on some high-end real estate in Shanghai in the autumn.
In all cases, these brands are operating in Lululemon’s shadow
In all cases, these brands are operating in Lululemon’s shadow. Community was the core of Lululemon’s proposition. Alo remembered that, starting its launch with offline sports activities. Adidas’ offline sports classes offer something similar, but they’ll need more than 20 to build the kind of activewear credibility Lululemon has.
