Hasta La Creative!

Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” (coincidentally the same song President Trump used in his inauguration) is the soundtrack for adidas Originals most conceptual ad yet, part three in the series called “Original is never finished.” Starring, James Harden, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Playboi Carti and Kendall Jenner. This is a remix of their other two chapters such as this one which is a cool idea. if you’ve seen the other two you’ll get a kick out of it. If you haven’t you might not be able to connect the dots as easily but you’ll still get the message with some nods to iconic fine art work including Botticelli and Da Vinci’s Virtruvian man: Originality, like art, is constantly involving and constantly being inspired by other things.

Despite the high budget Luc Besson film-meets-modern art museum vibe it’s still an adidas Originals spot. Even if it’s Kendall in an incubator. or go-karting around a half-buried Statue of Liberty (if that’s an environmental disaster nod, wouldn’t she be in the water?) or riding tiny cars in a parking lot, all the camera glitches and tricks and exotic locales can’t hide the fact it’s adidas-sponsored celebrities doing “cool shit,” which has been their MO for as long as
I can remember. But wow, what a budget this must have had.

Adidas has been on a huge uptick lately, with sales that grew 31% in the first quarter of the year. Obviously this has as much to do with their celeb endorsers and influencers getting the word out, if not their products, too, which including getting them to market faster. adidas also says its listening to the consumer and what they actually want, too. But while adidas has always been an aspirational brand, especially with their Originals line, they’ve always been an inclusive brand. The mantra was always “Nike is Me, adidas is We.” Lately, this has changed at least I think so. Consider Your Future is not Mine. or I am not a superstar. And now this campaign, “My Way.”

I guess adidas realized its customers (millennials, who else) resonate with a more me-focused message. Fair enough, if that’s what moves product. It’s just interesting to note that way back in the Sid Lee days of 2008, their House Party spot had everyone gathered in a room together, whereas cinematically there are a lot of scenes in this spot featuring adi-superstars on their own. Interesting evolution indeed.
I just wish we would stop trying to making Kendall Jenner a thing. The Pepsi ad should have been enough.