Running a marketing campaign is not as easy as it used to be, especially in sports. But Adidas has nailed it with Anthony Edwards’ sneaker campaigns, matching his swagger with bold, cinematic choices. The brand is selling Ant-Man’s rise as the next big basketball sensation. Sounds familiar? Take a trip back to the 1980s.
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The man who received a similar rollout when he was coming up in the league was Michael Jordan, who’s often compared to Edwards due to their similar style of play. But these advertisements off the court reveal just how like-minded Adidas and Nike can be.
Edwards’ promos evoke the same vibe as the Jordan brand’s Spike Lee commercials from the 1990s. Just do not tell that to the Timberwolves superstar. When asked about it in a recent interview with Complex, he denied even knowing those ads existed.
“Never seen them. I’m too young for that. Yeah, I ain’t ever seen those,” claimed the 23-year-old. Unfortunately for Edwards, Miles Jackson-Cartwright, the Global Brand Marketing Manager for Adidas, was there to shed some light on how those MJ ads were a great inspiration for their ads with Edwards.
“Absolutely,” admitted Miles when asked the same question. “Position your athlete as the icon that we think he is. Obviously, we have this belief in him, but essentially what made that great was the camera, the athlete, product. That’s what we wanted to do for him, too.”
There’s nothing wrong with modeling a campaign after Lee. The legendary filmmaker is not only an Oscar winner, but he also loves the game of basketball. Lee is a dedicated New York Knicks superfan, and made He Got Game, one of the most prolific films about basketball alongside Hoosiers, Space Jam, Love & Basketball, and White Men Can’t Jump.
“Kind of keep simple and allow for him to have a stage for him to be himself. And that was the same thing we were trying to channel. Not necessarily repeat or copy, but just take that ethos,” added Jackson-Cartwright. Edwards then jumped him to claim that he put his own spin on things because he doesn’t view himself as a copycat.
The partnership already looks like a slam dunk. Adidas has managed to capture the energy of a young star while giving him the platform to stand out from the pack. If Ant continues his rise on the court, his sneakers and the campaigns behind them will only grow in legend.
He can help his case even more by getting past the Conference Finals round, too. Edwards helped the Wolves to the Conference Championship in back-to-back years, but came up short against a Luka-led Mavericks and an unstoppable Thunder team. If he manages to get over this hump, he and Adidas will be raking in the bills.
