Situation: Adidas is the original sports brand but in today’s crowded and fiercely contested landscape, the brand needs to stand out from the competition to create a distinct and unique point of view.

Problem: We are seeing the highest drop in sports participation in sports history. Research tells us that the constant expectation setting from others creates unmanageable negative pressure that affects performance and limits participation.

Brief: Disarm negative pressure for the enjoyment of sport.

Objective: RECONNECT our brand attitude of optimism in sport, by introducing a clear point of view that aligns with our audience’s shifting mindset.

The iconic track “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie was always going to play a pivotal role in bringing our concept to life. The song’s uplifting melodies and its eye-opening lyrical content both build and contrast our idea in striking ways.

But where this really comes to life is in the ways we adapted and developed the track to highlight our story arc. We crafted a bespoke version of “Under Pressure” to become a sonic representation of the emotional journey faced by all athletes who experience and ultimately overcome the negative pressures in sport.

In the opening act of our film, we reworked “Under Pressure” to become a distorted and uncertain version of itself. The music pauses for a beat as our athletes realise “It’s Only Pressure. And then as our athletes reconnect with the simple joy of sport, our iconic track lands with it’s characteristic optimism and irony.