Adidas’ new ad, created by TBWA\Neboko, follows a group of athletes including sprinter Noah Lyles, marathon world record holder Peres Jepchirchir, and Turkish swimmer Sümeyye Boyaci as they shrug off the pressures they face, aptly set to Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.

The film is intended to be uplifting, tying in with the brand’s motivational campaign You Got This, and comes off the back of research indicating that one in five athletes lack confidence in their abilities.

The spot is more feel good – though arguably less memorable – than the campaigns from Nike recently, which have playfully leaned into the supposedly negative attributes of professional athletes, including its Olympics ad that asked ‘Am I a bad person?’ and its Euros ‘madness’ spot. The difference in approach sums up an advertising industry that is currently split between humour and purpose.

Nike’s standout style may make more of an impression, though some social media commentators have raised concerns about what example the messaging could set for children. Meanwhile recent data indicates adidas’ Euros work was among the most effective from the tournament.

Adidas’ Olympics-related advertising has proved controversial recently though, with the brand drawing criticism from Israel for an ad referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics which starred supermodel Bella Hadid, who has Palestinian heritage. The brand apologised and “revised the remainder of the campaign” in response, removing Hadid from it, which then led to renewed complaints and apologies from adidas.

Credits:
Agency: TBWA\Neboko
CCOs: Darre van Dijk, Andy Jex
ECD: Pete Khoury
Creative Directors: Darren Cronje, James Andrews, Simone di Laus, Thomas Jullien
Senior Creatives: Toby Castle-Smith, Jeremy Pedro, Nick Bristow
Lead Designer: Callum Jackson
Designer: Finn Mullan
Director: Matt Baron
Production Company: Partizan London
DoP: Minka Farthing-Kohl