Minnesota Timberwolves’ superstar Anthony Edwards made an electric debut of his signature sneaker: the adidas AE 1. Many have attributed the sneakers' success towards Adidas’ stellar marketing campaign, but what winning strategies transcended this sneaker to stardom? This marketing case study unpacks the Adidas AE 1, its marketing campaign, and why it's the hottest selling basketball sneaker in 2024.
What Makes the AE 1 Special?
Edwards is one of 27 professional athletes that have a signature basketball sneaker, and his new shoe with Adidas is, without question, one of the most talked about since it’s release. Most debut sneaker models tend to fade away once its predecessor arrives. However, with all the buzz surrounding the AE 1s, Adidas will have a tall order when trying to top their latest sneaker design.
The AE 1’s most noticeable feature is its honeycomb-patterned support wing, providing additional power and stability on the court. This not only creates an eye-catching aesthetic, but also adds breathability throughout the entire lateral and medial sides of the sneaker. The AE 1 is infused with Adidas’ iconic boost technology that provides next-level comfort throughout the entire midsole of the sneaker. Finally, the AE 1 is grounded with a herringbone outsole, ensuring players can shift and suddenly change direction without the worry of falling and sliding.
Adidas' One-of-a-Kind Marketing Campaign
Adidas rolled out a one-of-a-kind marketing campaign that has never been done before. After searching through videos and sneaker marketing campaigns, this is the first campaign that actually addresses the entire customer lifecycle through a series of videos. Adidas featured its video series on X that covered everything from an introduction to Anthony Edwards, the benefits of the AE 1s, how customers will play in them, to even motivational messages from Edwards himself. Adidas showcased the AE 1s by mixing 90’s-style aesthetics with simplistic photos and videos, putting all the attention on the sneakers. The collection is featured below, which introduces Edwards, the benefits of playing in the AE 1s, and how you will perform.
Anthony Edwards' Motivational Messages
In addition, Adidas promoted the AE 1 campaign with its #believethat tagline so fans and customers can further spread the positive messaging while expressing their review on the sneakers. But it doesn’t stop at the caption. In fact, Edwards finishes every video by saying “believe that” or by featuring the text on the screen. This small, yet effective, strategy not only helps customers remember the sneaker, but associates the positive messaging with the sneaker itself - making it more likely for fans to purchase the AE 1.
The Standout Marketing Strategies
This marketing campaign was a masterpiece that experts should carefully study and evaluate to understand why it was successful. Here were the noticeable tactics that attributed to the AE 1's recent success.
- Leveraged Word of Mouth Marketing: Word of mouth will always be the greatest marketing tool, and Adidas thrived off fans’ reactions, opinions, and discussions surrounding the AE 1s. In addition to word of mouth, fans could easily spot this shoe while watching the National Basketball Association (NBA), especially during a Timberwolves game when Edwards was playing. Any highlight that Edwards had throughout the night would showcase the AE 1s in front of millions of fans, making Edwards a walking billboard for his shoes. Whether athletes, celebrities, or sneaker moguls like Complex NTWRK's Brendan Dunne, the AE 1 got everyone’s attention, and it will remain the talk of the town until further notice.
- Community Appearances: The AE 1 is more than just Anthony Edwards - it's about the community that helped build him into the man and basketball player that he is today. He held events that not only debuted his signature sneaker, but also brought the community together by having fun activities, games, and meet-and-greets. The AE 1s aren’t just shoes, they’re a story.
- Nailed Video Strategy: Adidas understood that its target audience for the AE 1s were basketball players between the ages of 10-25, primarily falling into Generation Z. Younger generations, like Gen Z, absorb short-form video content the best to not only accommodate to their short attention spans, but to also receive straight forward content that addresses their interests, concerns, and questions.
How Adidas Can Improve Its Winning Campaign
This campaign didn’t disappoint, but Adidas can certainly add to their campaign by implementing these two, simple strategies.
- Expand Social Net: Adidas predominantly used Twitter (or X) to advertise for the AE 1s, but seem to limit their promotion on other platforms. While X is used by Gen Z and younger generations, they also spend time on Instagram, TikTok, and even LinkedIn for their news and updates. Casting a wider net ensures that Adidas is reaching their entire audience, and not just relying on word of mouth as a marketing lifeline.- Showcase Edwards’ Highlights in Campaign: Adidas did a great job of capturing Edwards wearing his shoes. But as the NBA playoffs are right around the corner, Adidas should revamp their current video strategy to showcase his in-game highlights - like his dunk on March 19, 2024. This illustrates Edwards’ full support to his product by not just promoting them on social media, but by wearing them during his NBA games throughout the season.
Surprise, Surprise...Not Really
It’s should be no surprise why the AE 1 is consistently selling out, and it’s marketing campaign is a testament that proves that. Attention grabbing, curiosity, innovation, and simplicity describe both the AE 1s and its marketing campaign - exactly how it should be. The defiant factor that determines whether a sneaker exceeds or misses its expectations is built within the brand’s marketing campaign. However, its rare to see a sneaker meet the hype its marketing campaign delivers. The AE 1 went above and beyond within its campaign, product quality, and story, which leaves fans wondering what’s in store for his next signature sneaker. Stay tuned.
