MAM
60,000 adidas employees ask the world to be ‘Ready for Sport’
Global sportswear giant, adidas under the brand movement #hometeam, has mobilised it’s entire internal community to inspire hope and optimism for a return to sport through it’s latest brand film ‘Ready for Sport’. The film was released exclusively by adidas employees and uses the unifying spirit of sport to motivate the world as it looks to re-enter the physical spaces of sport –be itstreets, stadiums or stores.
‘Ready for Sport’ is the second phase of the adidas #hometeam narrative; part of adidas’ response to the COVID-19 global relief efforts to collect funds for the World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Till date, adidas has made a direct €3 million donation and also plans to raise additional funds.
This is the first time that adidas has launched a campaign solely through its internal community of employees. ‘Ready for Sport’ is an open-sourced film featuring the #hometeam adidas employees, over 2500 athletes and the wider sporting community. All adidas employees had an exclusive twenty-four-hour window to post the launch film on their social channels,and were encouraged to highlight what they are “ready for” – whether it be something to look forward to or that holds a newfound sense of appreciation.
According to Mr. Manish Sapra, Senior Brand Marketing Director, adidas India, " 'Ready for Sport' aims to be an inspiring and optimistic rallying call for people everywhere to look forward and imagine how incredible sport is going to feel when the current Covid19 situation is over. We strongly believe that we as a nation should keep moving so when the time comes, India will be more than ready for sport again.”
Since launch, #hometeam has connected more of adidas’ global and Indian athletes and Creator community than ever before; with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Hima Das, Mirabai Chanu to global icons like Lionel Messi, Noah Lyles and Gareth Bale providing hours of content to inspire and motivate people to keep their bodies, hearts and minds healthy.
To help people get ‘Ready for Sport’, adidas is also extending free access to the adidas workout apps for an additional 90 days, providing its community with access to over 260 exercises in 15 languages to keep them moving. And for those joining teammates when stores reopen, it has active measures supporting social distancing, personal protective equipment for the team and sanitization across all locations. Store teams have been training hard, so that when people visit, keeping everyone safe and healthy in an inclusive environment will be their first priority.
Film weblink:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwk5PdpTxSU
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
