How Adidas created the perfect product launch for the Predator

One piece of sports content that has knocked it out of the park, and three championship-caliber takeaways to make you a better content marketer and creator — let’s play ball!

This Week’s Game Plan:

In the modern age of always on social media, it’s almost impossible to keep any major marketing announcements a secret.

This is even more true when it comes to the world of sports. For every savvy marketing team trying to keep everything under wraps ahead of the big reveal, there’s an equally savvy Fabrizio Romano or Adrian Wojnarowski waiting to get the scoop and announce it to their hordes of anticipating followers.

That’s why when a company manages to get a launch right, it captures everyone's attention.

This is exactly what Adidas managed to do when they announced Trent Alexander Arnold’s landmark return to the brand with the three stripes in Liverpool’s November showdown with Manchester City. The England star walked onto the pitch donning an iconic pair of custom white and red predator boots — complete with the fold-over tongue beloved by boot enthusiasts young and old.

Social media blew up with people talking about Trent, the brand switch, and most importantly those boots.

Did it help that he scored a classic equaliser for the reds on the day he debuted his new brand allegiance? Absolutely. But that only adds to the masterstroke in marketing this was by Adidas.

The brand followed up this unexpected turn with a smart series of social assets, adorned with the simple tagline of “we’re back 🤫” signalling Alexander Arnold’s return to his roots and the brand he wore as he rose up the ranks.

In interviews, the newly minted Adidas athlete speaks of creativity and expression, about community and helping people, and about history and the future.

This is a brilliant example of a fantastic launch with a brand ambassador that perfectly fits the ideals and direction of a company. Adidas made all the right decisions here, and Trent Alexander Arnold could well end up being one of their most important signings in recent history.

A truly brilliant piece of marketing.

Post Game Analysis

1. It’s all about the launch

Generating hype is difficult, and unlike a lot of other areas where content can often be a slow build (think podcasts or YouTube), organic social campaigns tend to do best when they build the most traction from the very beginning. The bigger the splash on launch, the better chance you have of making a lasting impact.

This is why the launch is so key — it’s the first thing your core audience, and hopefully others, are going to see. Getting it right can catapult your campaign beyond your competition. It’s worth spending time to make sure the launch assets and creative are perfect, and then worrying about the longevity of the campaign later.

Adidas nailed this here by pairing an iconic product, with an iconic athlete, and somehow managing to avoid anything leaking to the masses ahead of time.

2. Influencer marketing is difficult until you find the right person

I see a lot of people complaining about the trials and tribulations of effective influencer marketing. Brands are increasingly skeptical of its pay off, particularly now with more risks involved than ever. Public perception of “influencers” is arguably at an all time low, prices for successful collaborations are rising, and there’s no guarantee your campaign is actually going to pay off.

This is why it’s absolutely key that you find somebody that perfectly fits your brand. I appreciate that a footballer promoting a boot isn’t quite the traditional influencer marketing many of you might think if, but it’s the exact same premise.

In this instance, Adidas wanted to promote an air of creativity and expression — two things that Trent Alexander Arnold embodies more than most. Pair these qualities with his stature in the game as one of the world’s best in his position, the fact that he plays for one of the most successful and popular clubs in world football, and even the often divisive nature of Trent as a footballer (“he can’t even defend and he’s a right back”) and you’ll see exactly why this partnership works.

Trent doesn’t just fit in, and neither do Adidas’ Predator line. They’re made to stand out, just like this partnership.

3. The importance of luck in marketing

As I tried to gather my thought on this campaign — while being constantly distracted by refreshing the Adidas site to see if Trent’s boots were available for sale yet — something struck me…

As good as this campaign was, Adidas has a lot of luck which really helped propel it to new heights.

The signing of Trent could have so easily leaked to the wider masses, the boot design could have been plastered all over the internet months in advance, they even had a beautiful stroke of luck with Trent scoring the equalising goal in such a huge game! All eyes on him, all eyes on the product — a marketer’s dream.

Now, I’m not trying to say that there weren’t online leaks, or that some people didn’t know this was coming. But, by and large, this didn’t trickle down into the refuges of the casual or even quite serious fans. Of course this takes serious planning, but the luck involved is massive!

Adidas (and Trent Alexander-Arnold) put in the work, that’s clear to see. But they also got very lucky, and sometimes that’s what the difference is between a good campaign and a great campaign. However, the more you work. the more chances you have of getting lucky.

As the great golfer Gary Player once said,

I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Adidas’ brilliant Predator launch campaign. If you did — or even if you didn’t — let me know in a reply.

If you’re feeling really generous you could also share this with a friend you think might enjoy it so we can grow the Social Setpiece Squad even more.

See you all next week.

PB ✌🏼