This technological feat from Adidas saw the sportswear brand utilise the 30,000 runners of the Boston Marathon to create personalised videos of its participants to promote its latest running apparel.
As one of the event sponsors, Adidas was looking for a way to create a more meaningful connection with participants and viewers – something that goes beyond the standard freebies giveaway.
Working with their agency Grow, the sportswear brand created personalised videos for each and every runner, congratulating them for their participation and giving them an opportunity to share their accomplishments in the form of a boast reel.
However, adidas was seeking to create truly personalised videos, which would include real race data for each runner as well as clips of that very runner shot during the race itself.
The “Here to Create Legend” campaign returned a host of rich visual content that offered a real-life glimpse into the buzz of the event, the reward of the challenge and unique running metrics that showcase each participant’s progress during their run.
Adidas was able to pull off the trick thanks to its use of location-based technology, data, digital video and more.
This personal, emotive and immersive digital marketing campaign proved as innovative as it did head-turning, resulting in a collective 100,000 video views in the first two days following the race.
Adidas’ video achievement made for a marketing message with emotional resonance that lasted long after the race and signals how sports sponsorships can achieve a deeper sense of purpose in the digital era.
The achievement comes at a time when personalisation is growing increasingly important, but is often an area where marketers miss the mark. Other brands have tried for large-scale content plays like this — rival Nike sent out 100,000 unique animated videos to Nike+ members back in 2015 — but few have completed them on such a short deadline and without major technical hiccups.
