Adidas seeks idea to challenge Nike+

by Noel Bussey, Campaign 18-Jan-08

Adidas has approached agencies with a pan-European brief to create an idea that will rival Nike's award-winning Nike+ campaign.

Agencies have been asked to produce a pan-European customer relationship
initiative and a related advertising campaign to run across any media,
that will engage consumers with the brand in an inventive and original

way.

Initially, the winning agency will launch the idea on the continent
before entering the UK market.

The pitch does not affect any of Adidas' existing agency
relationships.

The Nike+ Experience work, created by R/GA, which won the Cyber Lion
Grand Prix at Cannes in 2007 and gold at the Campaign Digital Awards the
same year, was based on a partnership between Apple and Nike. The work
involved the creation of a new product - a computer chip that runners
could put in their trainers which sent data about speed and distance to
their iPods.

It was backed by a website that allowed users to set goals, and track
their progress.