adidas SG’s marketing plans kick off with 3D video at brand centre

Adidas Singapore is entering a new era of storytelling with its first 3D brand video, titled "We Got This". The video is featured on a 3D LED screen at the brand's first brand centre in Singapore. Aptly named "HOMEGROUND", the adidas Singapore brand centre is said to be the largest mono-brand retail sports destination in the country. 

To inspire its consumers to write their own comeback stories, pivot, or make a change for themselves, adidas rallied local celebrities and athletes to tell their stories in the  “We Got This” campaign. The campaign will include stories from musician, Benjamin Kheng; singer and model, Iman Fandi; social media personality, Christabel Chua; national high jumper and SEA Games record holder for high jump, Michelle Sng; professional footballer, Jacob Mahler; female ju-jitsu practitioner and world champion, Constance Lien; MMA champion, Amir Khan; as well as Olympian, Shanti Pereira.

According to adidas Singapore, the brand found out through a survey among an independent panel of 1,009 respondents that the "Power of Jio (to accompany)" can help people in Singapore. From the survey, adidas Singapore concluded that 68% of the respondents said that being part of a fitness or sport community has had a “positive impact on their mental well-being”. In fact, the top three reasons were happiness (49%), motivation (48%), and socialisation with like-minded individuals (46%). 

IPG's Current Global was involved in the creation of the 3D video. The brand has been working with Current Global for more than five years for duties covering PR, creative, and influencer management, and trust was the main factor that helped foster a strong relationship between both parties, Petr Stastny, country manager of adidas Singapore, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE in an interview. 

The new brand centre, which soft-launched on 24 December 2021, is said to be the pinnacle of sports, lifestyle, fashion and culture. Located at Knightsbridge and spanning three floors, the brand centre offers an array of adidas performance and Originals apparel, footwear as well as accessories. As the first brand centre in Singapore, the brand wanted to have a design that was deeply rooted in the Singapore identity and celebrates diversity as a multicultural country.

Stastny said that the team spent the past three years scouting for a suitable location for the brand centre. The team also took approximately eight to nine months to conceptualise the brand centre's design. While he was unable to reveal monetary investment for HOMEGROUND, Stastny said adidas is making "a big statement" with the investment it has made into its new retail store. 

"The flagship is our biggest investment and now it's all about how we bring the flagship to life," he added. 

As part of its marketing efforts moving forward, adidas will create more 3D and 4D content for the LED screen on the facade of its brand centre and hold in-store activations.

This includes talk shows with celebrities and athletes such as Benjamin Kheng and Amir Khan, as well as former professional football player David Beckham. While the sports brand is doubling down on physical activations, it will still keep its finger on the pulse when it comes to digital as "this is where consumers are", Stastny said.

Stastny believes that HOMEGROUND will help bring the brand closer to consumers and create an emotional connection. "The retail landscape in Singapore is very competitive; you need to push the envelope, raise the bar, and think ahead," he added. While Stastny did not reveal exact sales and footfall figures since the soft launch, he said the team has been happy with the sales for the past few weeks. "It is not only about the money but also about the experience and commitment," he said.

Adidas is also bringing a global brand to Singaporeans using a hyperlocalised experience. Featuring a series of artwork, consumers are greeted with hyperlocal infusions and collaborations with local artists upon entering the brand centre. The first artwork, titled "Local Designs" is created in partnership with local designers Pamela Ting and Jessica Wong from SCENE SHANG. According to the designers, the artwork weaves in elements from the Singapore heritage and culture with classic from adidas.

At the same time, its local delights wall draws inspiration from traditional cakes and snacks such as the tutu kueh, ang ku kueh, kueh bahulu, muruku, and more. According to Stastny, this hyperlocalised approach helps to create brand credibility and an emotional connection. 

Adidas is also demonstrating its commitment to sustainability with a sustainability wall, which features a brand film showcasing the issue of plastic waste in Singapore. Currently, six out of 10 of adidas's products are made from sustainable materials and the brand aims to increase this number to nine out of 10 products by 2025. "That is huge, huge progress and by 2024, we will not be using virgin polyester which is a huge milestone for us," Stastny explained.

Products made from sustainable materials are currently indicated by tags such as "Prime Blue" to show that they are made from materials harvested from the ocean, for example. The brand is also using it own media channels, including the sustainability wall, to educate consumers on the importance of the topic. 

How COVID-19 has changed retail for adidas

The biggest change for adidas, according to Stastny, was pivoting towards eCommerce, which has now become "one of the most if not the most important channel" since it is available to consumers round the clock. It also has the ability to offer the widest range, including smaller categories, which makes sense for adidas to continue building on its eCommerce capabilities. At the same time, larger stores such as HOMEGROUND also help in creating a better physical retail experience as well as a seamless omnichannel offering when paired with eCommerce. 

"Over the past five years, eCommerce has accelerated dramatically [for us] and it has reached a certain part of our share of the business which is significant," Stastny said but did not provide exact figures on how much of its Singapore revenue comes from eCommerce. 

As adidas powers through into 2022, Stastny said the line between online and offline will be blurred. For example, if consumers are unable to find their size in a brick-and-mortar store, they can still order it online in-store and have it shipped to them. Another technology that adidas currently has its "Bring It To Me" app integration which uses in-store geolocation tracking to provide an uninterrupted browsing experience. Shoppers can scan products, check stock, request their size and purchase on the spot as they shop without the need for queues or designated collection spaces.

"Those are the examples are what I think the future of retail will offer more, and technology is an absolutely important factor in how we develop [these new innovations]," he said.

Aside from the soft launch of the Singapore brand centre last December, adidas also unveiled its largest Southeast Asia brand centre at Sunway Pyramid in Malaysia. The new brand centre offers an elevated consumer experience with an extensive range of sports performance and sports style products. It will also include an in-store customisation zone. Similar to the brand centre in Singapore, the new store in Malaysia will also incorporate Malaysian elements, such as prominent local landmarks within the store interior.

Whereas on the leadership front, Amit Das Gupta has left his role as VP, brand and VP, eCommerce at adidas in Southeast Asia. Das Gupta told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that after 22 years with adidas and 28 years of working, he is heading off to Phuket for an early retirement. In his most recent role, Das Gupta was responsible for managing the company’s day-to-day brand and eCommerce areas, defining overall strategies and team development across the Southeast Asia region.  It is understood that at the time of writing there is no direct replacement for Das Gupta's role.

Separately, adidas has doubled down on its metaverse ambitions by entering into a four-way partnership with Bored Ape Yacht Club, Pixel Valut's Punks Comic and crypto investor Gmoney. The sports brand first dipped its toes into the metaverse via a partnership with cryptocurrency platform Coinbase on Twitter on 25 November and NFT gaming firm The Sandbox. Coinbase later retweeted the post, saying "Welcome to the party, partner!"

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