Adidas’ World Cup Cross-Marketing

We’re in the thick of the World Cup, and us BatesMeron-ers cannot get enough of it. Hopefully, you’ve caught the first two USA matches so far, or at the very least caught Todd’s blog about World Cup jerseys the other week.

We aren’t the only ones with World Cup fever. Adidas has struck gold with its fantastic cross-marketing campaign that combines the passion for the beautiful game with a growing skateboarding base, called Skate Copa. Their growing skateboard apparel department launched this campaign targeted at skaters to get exposure for their involvement in the World Cup. Adidas has been a part of the soccer world from head to toe for decades—but they, like many other companies, are always trying to figure out how to grow U.S. soccer fans.

Capitalizing on the growth of skateboarding and the worldwide love of soccer, Adidas created limited edition soccer-style jerseys featuring a few of their team riders from different countries so they could represent their national teams.

Those jerseys included designs for team riders Benny Fairfax with Palace Skateboards for England, Lucas Puig with Cliché Skateboards for France, Mark Gonzales with Krooked Skateboards for the U.S., Raul Navarro with Western Edition Skateboards for Spain, Rodrigo TX with DGK Skateboards for Brazil and Lem Villemin with Cliché Skateboards for Germany.

Each jersey was specifically designed in collaboration with each of their respective deck brands, so they are not an exact replica of the actual national soccer team uniforms, but are instead unique interpretations.

With a major media push through video placement, banner ads and print ads, Adidas grabbed the attention of skaters everywhere. Most of the jerseys sold out in record time, and though I assume some went straight to eBay, I’ve spotted a couple on the streets of Chicago.

It’s unclear how they will measure the crossover success: Are skateboarders tuning in to the World Cup and purchasing soccer apparel now that they have the soccer bug? Or did Adidas just build up their brand awareness and reputation in the skateboard community with this unique campaign? Either way, I’m a huge fan.

Adidas went one step further with their marketing: they formed a skateboard contest in a few major U.S. cities to recreate the World Cup tournament vibe. With Chicago’s contest coming up this weekend at Wilson Skatepark, Chicagoans can see it first-hand or just watch the Adidas Skate Copa promo video, which is pretty stellar on its own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLdyQ1oMmAo