GLITCH is both a brand new football boot concept AND a brand new route to market for adidas.

It’s development, design and launch was a closely guarded secret, with all the buzz and hype of a big budget boot release, minus the spend. A core group of influencers were brought on board in the summer, helping to envision, critique and test the boot in advance. They became the voice of the brand and helped launch the product to their peers, friends and fans.

The boots were (and still are) ONLY available for purchase through a dedicated mobile app. This platform opens to purchase through special one-use referral codes. You literally cannot get your hands on these boots unless you are invited by another GLITCH player, adding exclusivity and creating a community around the product – a community fed and managed by influencers, not marketers.

We intentionally started small, with a core group of influencers and urban footballers in London, chosen as the gatekeepers of GLITCH. This allowed the community to grow gradually and organically. By making it exclusive and limited in number, the customer experience was more personal.

Players could book an appointment to try the boots on the pitch (via the app), joined by influencers and fitting advisors. We fed our audience’s desire for instant gratification by making the purchasing process quick and seamless.

Boots could be brought on the move and delivered within 4 hours, anywhere in London. There was 24 hour chat support from the same influencers who were there from the start, with rewards for the most active users.

The app held key customer data and preferences, allowing players to order fresh new designs on release. And it facilitated a three-way dialogue between the brand, the influencers and its customers.

GLITCH trended immediately and boots were in demand from day one. Players took to social media begging for referral codes from their contacts. We made it into the ‘HOT this week’ list in the Apple app store in our first week. We even saw access codes being sold on eBay.

Despite the controlled release, the GLITCH app has had over 50 thousand downloads in the first four months. The codes seeded by our first influencers had a 75% conversion rate to a boot sale and we’ve continued to see an 89% redemption rate on codes being activated.

All without a scrap of media spend, zero advertising or sponsorship & no celebrity endorsement.

GLITCH managed to transform one of football's most recognisable brands into one of its hottest start-ups. It turned the industry upside down, creating a completely new and loyal relationship between a brand and consumer.