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Adidas Uses Web to Enhance TV Spot

Creative Posted on February 28, 2006

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February 28, 2006

EVB’s adidas minisite allows audiences to immerse themselves in the dark and dangerous world of Kevin Garnett, as presented in recent TV spots.

Creative Notes

Firefox compatible

More Sneaker Showcases:

Nike Singapore website

Nike Free minisite

Reebok minisite

New Balance banner

Campaign Details

Client: adidas
Creative Agency: EVB

Campaign Insight

EVB designed the adidas interactive campaign to demonstrate the versatility of the new Garnett through KG's dynamic personality traits displayed on the basketball court. Garnett's qualities are represented metaphorically by a Leader, Hero, Kid, Warrior and Comedian. The consumer arrives in a barren gym and a silhouette of Kevin Garnett suddenly appears and slams the gym door behind him. He then invites the viewer to "Step Inside KG," compelling the visitor to delve into his five personalities and the distinct "worlds" that reflect them. EVB crafted each "world" to offer the consumer innovative viewing opportunities as well as using sophisticated technology to display unique angles of the shoe. As the viewer examines each of KG's personalities, he can select to view a variety of integrated video scenes, listen to KG audio, watch outtakes, download video to his PSP, print posters, download wallpaper, view the "making of" the television spot or enter a sweepstakes to win five different pairs of the new Garnett.

We wanted to create an experience that lived up to the TV experience but took it a step further. A major goal of the site was to also present the shoe in a unique and compelling way. We shot the shoe in every environment, allowing the consumer to rotate the shoe in the environment. The sound, the video, the voice-over create a rich textured experience and puts you smack dab into the personality.

The KG campaign launched in 24 countries and targets urban males, 12- to17-years-old, with an emotional connection to brands, shoes and the athletes that support them.
-- Justin Acuff, account supervisor, EVB

Editor's Note

Creative Showcase is meant to be a teaching tool and an inspiration for our readers. We comment only on creative that we really love. Our panelists discuss what makes it great, but if they feel there were missed opportunities that would have made it better, we invite them to mention those. And finally, we seek out a wide range of opinions that reflect the marketplace for the panel, in order to provide constructive, useable feedback for agencies, clients and others involved in these creative pieces.

The Panel

This companion microsite for the new adidas Kevin Garnett TV campaign is a pristine example of how an integrated project should work. It is so good it begs the question…Which one’s better? The TV or the interactive?

The seamless transition from the television creative to the interactive execution done by EVB is extremely well executed. There must have been close collaboration between TBWA Chiat Day, the TV production company, the client and EVB in order to create and repurpose all of the excellent video and cgi assets needed to create this immersive experience. The manner in which the spirit and theme of the campaign are translated online is truly inspiring.

Probably my favorite aspect of the project is the way in which interactivity and the product is introduced, without being overt. For the KG project I found myself completely immersed in KG’s world, and I couldn’t wait to see where the next step would bring me. The product was always there, and when I chose to check it out, it was as cool of an experience as every other aspect of the site. The elegant glowing animations throughout the site, as well as at the bottom of the main navigation system, encouraged me to click but never insulted my intelligence or detracted from the moment.

I don’t play basketball. I don’t watch basketball. I don’t wear basketball shoes. I had never even heard of KG before viewing this project. If this site has remotely the same impact that it had on me with the intended audience, adidas better have lots of shoes in stock.
-- Adam Boozer, VP creative/technology, IQ interactive

The Kevin Garnett campaign from adidas is an example of an integrated campaign that does a good job of extending the concept in each medium-- including online. The Hollywood-style visual effects used in the transitions, the virtual environments created for each personality and the addition of video characters create a sense of realism and help give this site a rich, engaging experience. The inclusion of downloadable desktops gives viewers a chance to take the experience with them while art direction details, such as the polished wood floor in each environment, add a nice finishing touch.

The challenge with any approach like this is striking a balance between the requirements placed on the viewer (navigation, bandwidth or technical) and the resulting experience. This site does a good job of leading you through the experience by using animated details and intuitive guides, but in many cases the result of the interaction (and the wait time) left me wanting more. However, the effort to push the envelope should be applauded.
-- Kirk Drummond, VP of creative and innovation, T3

Footnote: Submissions are judged by a panel of industry experts from and based on the following criteria: how the creative captures the specific customer; how it meets the brand's business needs; impact of execution; and creativity. If you would like your creative considered for Creative Showcase, send an email to creative@imediaconnection.com.