Adidas challenged us to launch their latest running shoe, Ultra BOOST, and make it known globally as the ‘greatest running shoe ever’.

Our audience is notoriously tough to reach: While they want to be seen as in the know, they aren’t the ones to first discover the new trends. They need trusted sources to confirm credibility before they engage. And if we told them directly it was the greatest running shoe ever, they’d say - prove it.

So we knew third party endorsement was critical, and PR and social media became adidas’ sole communication vehicles at launch.

We knew that to achieve cut through we needed to be bold and disrupt.

Our idea was to stage a revolution, in one of the most attention grabbing locations, Wall Street, NYC. And invite those with influence.

No traditional press kits, global celebrities or long speeches. Instead a unique, first-hand experience for the people that matter most.

Our Running Revolution allowed influencers from across the world to experience Ultra BOOST first hand, and generate their own content. They were given access to the shoe’s creators, the athletes that wear it and a suite of production tools to produce their own content, for their own channels, their own stories.

We let them decide for themselves whether they thought Ultra BOOST was the greatest running shoe ever.

Through PR and social alone, the campaign drove the highest number of e-commerce sign-ups in adidas history, succeeding in selling-out the shoe worldwide in just two days.

We launched on 22 January, in an old bank vault, 23 Wall Street, NYC. The location was chosen because the heart of any revolution comes from the disruption of the core of the establishment, and the bold urban environment fit with the adidas brand.

200 influencers and media from 17 markets came to discover and experience the shoe. We didn’t have long speeches or global celebrities, just the shoe, athletes and adidas experts. For the first time we conducted live competitor testing and held a running clinic for our influencers, led by professional athletes. We supplied the influencers with stylists, photographers, production studios, a gif photobooth and a testing arena in Central Park. This allowed them to explore, ask questions and create their own content at the launch. Coverage of the launch was immediate with real-time posting, amplified and curated through adidas’ accounts.

200 influencers and media from 17 markets attended and were quick to set their Twitter channels buzzing and Instagram feeds publishing every facet of the launch, from product profile shots, athlete ambassadors and running experiences.

200 influencers and media from 17 markets attended and were quick to set their Twitter channels buzzing and Instagram feeds publishing every facet of the launch, from product profile shots, athlete ambassadors and running experiences.

In the first 10 days the campaign generated estimated impressions of 250M+. and #UltraBOOST trended in the UK and US, with 11,000+ tweets and 2,000+ Instagram posts across owned and earned channels,

Adidas Instagram engagement increased by 225%% and Facebook achieved a 200% increase in engagement, 42% increase in reach and 23% increase in likes.

The launch captured the attention of key influencers and succeeded in building excitement and anticipation ahead of the commercial on shelf date of 11/02/15. Through PR and social alone, the campaign drove the highest number of e-commerce sign-ups in adidas history, and within 48 hours, global stock was sold out.