White adidas trefoil logo over an aerial night view of a city with lit buildings along a dark waterfront
Submitted by EssenceMediacom

An Original Outdoor take-over for adidas

Influencer Marketing

EssenceMediacom flew 200 drones over Copenhagen with Wavemaker for adidas Originals, an unannounced night takeover that creators shared to over 1,2 million impressions.

1,2Mimpressions through organic shares
200drones flown in the show
2large scale city projections
2fashion and sneaker creators

Case in 60 seconds

adidas Originals needed to mark the arrival of a new era and a new global platform in Denmark, paying homage to the people who have carried the Trefoil back to the front of culture.

The campaign appears to turn on the exclusive side of sneaker and fashion culture, because a spectacle withheld until the last minute rewards the people who happen to witness it with something nobody else can post.

The organizing thesis was to put technology into the physical world so that digital natives would capture the moment themselves, making the city the route into digital spaces rather than buying that space outright.

EssenceMediacom, working with sister agency Wavemaker, sent 200 drones into the night sky over Copenhagen carrying brand symbols and well known emojis, supported by 2 large scale projections in the city. An event at Mikkeller Baghuset on Refshaleøen gathered 40+ fashion and sneaker creators, who captured and shared content in their own style so the takeover reached the intended audience.

EssenceMediacom reports over 1,2 million impressions through organic shares alone, a figure the agency sets against what a two-week outdoor placement at Nørreport Station would have reached, and describes the show as the first of its kind in the Nordics.

Strategy Breakdown

Digital natives in Copenhagen and the fashion and sneaker culture around adidas Originals, reached through the creators invited to the event rather than through a demographic the page defines.
Sneaker and fashion culture rewards what is exclusive, while a city takeover is by definition available to everybody, so the drone show was kept secret until the last minute to make a public event read as an invitation.
The Trefoil is a long established symbol that is already everywhere, so a campaign about its heritage cannot rely on showing the mark again and needs an occasion that returns it to the front of culture.
adidas Originals acted as the host of a one night event rather than as an advertiser buying space, which let the platform about giving the world an original be demonstrated rather than asserted.
Based on the available evidence, the work assumes that digital natives document what they witness, so staging the spectacle physically and inviting the people most likely to film it turns a local event into a social one.

Creative & Execution System

Partners

  • EssenceMediacom
  • Wavemaker

Participation mechanic

  • The 40+ invited creators took part by capturing the drone show and the projections themselves and posting in their own style, so the audience's sharing was the campaign's distribution into digital spaces.

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
Impressions Through Organic SharesThe results were over 1,2 million impressions, through organic shares alone, much more than we would have been able to reach with a two-week outdoor at Nørreport Station.
Drones Flown in the ShowThis resulted in us sending 200 drones into the night sky to celebrate Adidas - and showcase the heritage of originality with iconic brand symbols and well known emojis.
Large Scale City ProjectionsThe drone show was supported by 2 large scale projections in the city and an event at Mikkeller Baghuset on Refshaleøen for 40+ fashion and sneaker creators to complete the city takeover for one night.
Fashion and Sneaker CreatorsThe drone show was supported by 2 large scale projections in the city and an event at Mikkeller Baghuset on Refshaleøen for 40+ fashion and sneaker creators to complete the city takeover for one night.

Why EssenceMediacom's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Withholding an announcement until the last minute appears to convert a public spectacle into a scarce one, because the people present hold footage nobody else can post, which is what pushes it through organic shares.

  2. 2

    Building the media spend as a physical event rather than a placement gives creators something worth filming, so the produced part of the work is the show and the distribution comes from the people watching it.

  3. 3

    Inviting fashion and sneaker creators rather than general reach appears to matter because the Trefoil's claim is a cultural one, and the people posting have to be the people the platform is paying homage to.

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