Committed to pushing the boundaries of sports marketing and reshaping the narrative around high-pressure athlete moments, we set out to embrace the challenge of launching adidas’ new brand campaign featuring their star athlete for the Super Bowl, without disrupting his incredible season.

Amidst a sea of brand campaigns launched on Sphere, our objective was clear: hack the Super Bowl to elevate our Sphere experience, leaving a lasting impact that reached and resonated far beyond the world’s biggest stage.

Against the backdrop of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, we seized a unique opportunity to spotlight Mahomes before the big game, despite having limited access to the athlete. Recognizing the potential to go big as Mahomes and the Chiefs advanced to the playoffs, we condensed what would typically take six months into a focused, month-long effort.

In an era where sports often lose their essence under immense pressure, dissuading the next generation from participation, we embarked on a mission to inject fun back into football. Leveraging the iconic Queen and Bowie anthem, “Under Pressure,” our big idea was to capture Mahomes engaged in a playful game of catch with his younger self on the monumental Sphere. This concept served as a powerful reminder of the pure joy of play, resonating with audiences on the grandest stage imaginable and amplifying our brand’s message.

Strategically leveraging the stage of the Super Bowl, we intentionally leaned into the pinnacle pressure moment in football to unveil adidas’ new empowering campaign messaging: YOU GOT THIS.

With a laser focus tailored to engaging the elusive and discerning Gen Alpha and Gen Z demographics, we aimed to redefine and alleviate the negative narrative around pressure in sports, a factor increasingly deterring these younger generations from participating. By collaborating closely with athletes to navigate high-pressure moments, we conveyed a simple yet powerful message to grassroots and elite athletes to rediscover the joy of sport and embrace the mantra of ‘just play.’

Our strategy extended beyond spotlighting Mahomes; it aligned with a Gen-Z led social movement reclaiming sports’ playful spirit. By seizing the world’s biggest media spot, we aimed to reignite the passion for sports, showcasing how simple moments of play transcend pressure and inspire a love for the game.

The campaign’s success reverberated across social media, with our hero drone video amassing an impressive 97M views on Instagram and 58.8M on TikTok.

Surpassing Messi’s historic World Cup victory, the video claimed the top-performing spot on adidas, Sphere, and Patrick Mahomes channels, receiving acclaim from industry moguls and sports enthusiasts globally, including Boardroom, Complex Sports, Sports Illustrated, The Score, SBJ, Complex Sneakers, Nice Kicks, and Campaign US.

Continuing its momentum beyond Sphere, we featured an anamorphic football soaring over Vegas skies, caught by adidas athletes like Julio Rodriguez and Anthony Edwards. This “epic catch” edit became the second-best-performing content across adidas channels, reaching 36.7 million views.

This monumental viewership validated the campaign’s success, exceeding paid and organic expectations during Super Bowl week and cementing adidas as a trailblazer in sports marketing, showcasing our team’s prowess in captivating global audiences and pushing advertising boundaries.