How Adidas channeled Anthony Edwards’ swagger for its social-led foray into the sneaker wars

“They said I got a little buzz going,” Anthony Edwards imparts in “AKA,” a social-media film plugging the NBA star’s Adidas basketball shoes. Edwards is not wrong—or as he succinctly puts it in the ad, “believe that.” The 22-year-old Edwards, whose Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Western Conference Finals, is fast becoming the face of the league—and is proving to be a game-changing force in the sneaker wars. The ads, from Adidas and agency Johannes Leonardo, have created a unique world in which Edwards casually lacerates opposing brands, while building his own behind immense reserves of charisma and self-confidence. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Orchestrated entirely on social and without paid support, the campaign is also cognizant of the overarching sneaker war and moments in its history, notably one linking Edwards to another high-flying shoe salesman, Michael Jordan. Its self-awareness has been especially meaningful for Adidas, which for years has struggled to dent the category-leading Nike and Jordan brands and compete in a field that today has more than two dozen “signature” athletes, or players with custom shoe models, among 11 different brands. “For a long time, brands just said ‘Nike, Jordan—you got this’ and didn’t even try to compete,” said one sports marketing executive who asked not to be identified in order to speak freely about brands. “But what we’ve seen today is that through great marketing and great design, or focusing on a certain demographic, [Nike competitors] been able to gain significant market share.” As documented by Reuters in March, Nike is adjusting its footwear approach, including scaling back on classic shoes such as the Air Force 1, in a move to focus on newer products as it deals with stiffer competition, especially in the running shoe market, including from upstarts such as Hoka. On the pro basketball courts, however, Nike very much remains the star player. According to a 2023 report from shoe review site RunRepeat, 65% of NBA players wore Nike in the 2022-23 season. Now Adidas, thanks to Edwards, has analysts taking notice. His signature Addias shoe, the AE1, “has very clearly become a Sneaker of the Year candidate,” wrote industry observer Mike D. Sykes on his The Kicks You Wear site in early May. Sneak Diss Edwards was the first pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of the University of Georgia and signed a shoe deal with Adidas shortly after turning pro. The AE1 launched this past October, and arrived with a brash surprise—a quick punch in the nose to four of its established competitors. The “censored” lines in the ad are specific references to the respective debut signature models for LaMelo Ball (Puma), Ja Morant (Nike), Luka Dončić (Jordan) and LeBron James (Nike). An “uncensored” version is published here. This casual act of provocation—assisted by Nick Maddox, a real-life friend of Edwards’ from his hometown of Atlanta—was meant not to start a war but to channel the spirit of great basketball advertising, said Paul Webber, senior brand director at Adidas basketball. Edwards’ abundant charisma, he added, gave the brand the confidence to do so. “Those of us working on the business right now grew up on basketball ads in the early 90s and 2000s, and grew up within basketball culture,” Webber said in an interview. “And, you know, at its best, it’s bold, it’s brash, it’s full of attitude and personality. And I think as we evaluated [Edwards’] positioning, that’s very much who he is as well. So that kind of gave us the confidence to behave in the way we’re behaving.” “They took a really big swing with that video where he’s calling out the other first signature models,” added the sports marketing executive. “They’re showing shoes from other brands in an Adidas commercial—it’s something a younger Nike might have done in the ’80s.” The ”Sneak Diss” ad, like those that would follow, inhabit a surreal, orangey-pink world from which Edwards’ slangy southern accent echoes and his confidence explodes out of the screen. Johannes Leonardo, which calls the color “Georgia Peach,” states that it is meant to be a tribute to the athlete’s mother and grandmother (and the color of its AE1 “With Love” model). The agency’s ads, directed by Kevin “Onda” Leyva, are also notable for unusual camera angles and pans and oddball visual effects and sounds. The campaign is the fruit of more than two years of work between Johannes Leonardo and Adidas. The agency and brand collaborated to develop a point of view that has distinguished Adidas and have big ambitions for the AE1. “We set out to make something iconic,” said Alfonso Ruiz, creative director at Johannes Leonardo. “We want to create a campaign that will be in other creatives’ decks and other brands’ decks. A campaign that somebody looks back 10 or 20 years from now and they’re like ‘this first campaign from Anthony Edwards was incredible. It was such a moment.’” 40 under 40 entries are open The final deadline for nominations is Aug. 2 Enter here Like Mike? Webber said the success of the marketing campaign reflects two “really smart” moves—one was to eschew the “hero’s journey” approach of typical jock endorsement ads and focus instead on the personality of Edwards. The other was to execute the campaign with nimble timing. The agency and brand agreed on a strategy to make a series of ads meant to drop with the contours of the NBA season. Rewind: How the NBA marketed its new In-Season Tournament This meant being sure that fans knew who Edwards was—a task undertaken in “AKA,” in which the athlete literally introduces himself. “Anthony Edwards, to us, is a huge star. But we’re all massive fans of basketball,” Ruiz said. “We needed to make sure we created an icon beyond that world and have him be a name that everybody knows.” The “AKA” film seemingly flicks at comparisons between Edwards and Jordan: A head-to-toe camera pan on Edwards is a near-replica of a shot from a 1985 Michael Jordan commercial for Nike. Known for his athleticism and thunderous dunks, Edwards’ game—and now, his ability to sell sneakers—has heated up comparisons to Jordan, who himself hasn’t denied some similarities. And while it’s tempting to see Edwards as Adidas’ version of Nike’s Jordan, Webber is diplomatic. “I could speak for Ant and Adidas when we say we’re honored by the comparison,” he said. “But ultimately, what we always say is he’s the first Anthony Edwards, and we believe his potential is limitless.” Ruiz instead compares Edwards to Ronaldinho, the retired Brazilian soccer star who was also a popular endorser. “Great smile, and he was the best player in the world. It was just impossible not to like him,” Ruiz said. “So we learned from him. And we wanted to create something like, what back in the day, they created for him.” Back when developing a plan for Edwards, Ruiz noted, it was more than self-confidence that set him apart. “He’s a guy with incredible self-belief, but every single athlete has incredible self-belief, that’s what it takes to be an athlete,” he said. “What made Ant unique was his joy. He could be posterizing you, but he turns around and has a smile that’s infectious. And it got us to a point where we said the joy of his self-belief is what was so powerful. And that’s where ‘Believe That’ came from.” Edwards is also known for endorsing Sprite, playing the lead role in a remake of the Grant Hill “Obey Your Thirst,” ad, also from the 1990s. He’s also stumped for Popeyes, Uber Eats and Foot Locker. Edwards also appeared in the 2022 movie “Hustle,” essentially playing himself—a brash young basketball player. Bold simplicity A theme of “bold simplicity” carries through from the design of the AE1 sneaker to the creative approach to it, said Webber. The shoe has drawn raves for its versatile aesthetics, a “striking shoe that is both unmistakable on TV and also looks great to kick around,” according to Nick DePaula, a writer covering the footwear industry for Boardroom. The AE1 retails for around $120. The debut year for the AE1 shoe has been a “perfect storm” for Adidas, he added. “They hit on every variable you could hope for in the sneaker game—the player is great, the shoe is great, the price point is great and his team has had a great season,” DePaula said, backed up by what he called Adidas’ “strongest marketing work in recent years.” The latest marketing for the AE1 was around the release of a new low-cut model—a beat that keeps the story moving, said Ruiz. “We created a second batch of films now that we have the low, which is a variation on the shoe, and we wanted to continue the momentum,” Ruiz said. “That’s how we’ve approached it, having these films ready to go for when the moment strikes.” All season, Adidas dropped ads behind big moments for Edwards or the brand. “Cheat Code” launched on Dec. 1 following a 21-point game. “PepTalk” went live on Jan. 1, playing into New Year’s resolutions. And “CAN’T” (above) launched five minutes after Edwards made an Internet-breaking, game-winning block during which he hit his head on the rim, on March 7. Webber declined to provide specific figures but said the AE1 has exceeded all its performance targets, with each variation of the shoe selling out. Moreover, it’s fueling a comeback for Adidas basketball, which is focused on regaining the energy and creativity it last enjoyed in the 1990s and early 2000s, when Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant wore its shoes. (Bryant left for Nike in 2003.) Since relocating its basketball unit to Los Angeles three years ago—basketball marketing didn’t work from Germany—Adidas is getting its mojo back behind athletes such as Edwards and James Harden. “I think we’ve come a long way,” said Webber. “I think we were a little lost a couple of years ago and trying to find a path forward. I’m really proud because on the product side, we’ve really returned to our roots. We’re referencing our archive and modernizing it for today’s athletes, and have developed a distinct point of view, which has given us that same energy on the marketing side.” There’s much more at stake than basketball in the sneaker wars, noted Bjørn Gulden, CEO of global brands for Adidas AG, speaking during the company’s investor day event earlier this month. “Basketball opens the doors to young consumers, especially in the United States,” he said. And though few basketball shoe wearers actually play basketball, “there’s a huge effect on fashion, on the so-called street culture,” Gulden added.

How Adidas channeled Anthony Edwards’ swagger for its social-led foray into the sneaker wars

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