Indiantelevision.com Team

(14 March 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Adidas has launched the evolution of its brand philosophy 'Impossible is Nothing' with a global campaign that encourages everyone to take their first step in reaching their impossible.

More than 30 international sports stars including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, David Beckham, Lionel Messi and Yelena Isinbayeva tell their 'Impossible' stories using their own hand-drawn illustrations and paintings. Through these stories of real people attempting and achieving what once seemed like impossible goals, adidas hopes to inspire people to think about their own obstacles and how to overcome them.

Adidas senior VP global brand marketing Eric Liedtke says, "With this campaign we get a glimpse of the athletes not at the finish line, but rather at a pivotal point in their journey. When you witness the victory, the end result, it is not always clear how they got there or what they had to overcome along the way.

"By sharing the journey and, more specifically, a challenge that was encountered along the way we get to a place that is truly inspiring and not often seen. We believe that by giving everyone a glimpse behind the scenes of lives of these athletes, we really will be encouraging them to attempt their own journey."

Adidas India MD Andreas Gellner says, "This campaign extends our philosophy of Impossible is Nothing to a personal level, encouraging everyone to overcome their personal challenges that seem impossible. At Adidas India, we are particularly excited about Sachin Tendulkar being featured in the campaign. With Cricket World Cup fever already on, it would be great for Sachin's global fans to hear his impossible story from him."

The content was created by inviting the athletes to spend time in an art studio with a toy box of art supplies and allowing them to bring their story to life in their own way. This created a wealth of material which consumers will see in commercial films, posters, books, documentaries, exhibitions and even clothing designs. In film, digital, and retail content, the athletes' real-life experiences come to life through animated films and static images created by the athletes themselves. The results are deeply personal, edgy and refreshingly honest.

Highlights from the new campaign include Sachin Tendulkar relating his Impossible is Nothing story from the days when he trained under Achrekar Sir in Mumbai. Beckham talks about how he braved death threats from fans after the 1998 Fifa World Cup . All Blacks rugby legend Jonah Lomu talks about the challenges he faced when told of the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair and US basketball star Gilbert Arenas explains the reason he wears the number 0 on his shirt.

The integrated campaign will launch simultaneously on a global and local level and includes 21 TV commercials, 15 documentaries, one long-format film, behind the scenes footage, large scale outdoor as well as exclusive digital content to be found on www.adidas.com.

The concept, created and executed by adidas' global advertising partner 180 Amsterdam (180/TBWA) is the latest in a long line of successful collaborations between the two in recent years. From the original 'Impossible is Nothing' launch campaign in 2004 which was built around Muhammad Ali, to the memorable meeting of English 'kicking gods' David Beckham and Jonny Wilkinson and, most recently, the award-winning football World Cup campaign +10.