Today a brand's biggest challenge is finding a way to connect with culture in a way that feels authentic and relevant. For adidas, chasing after culture is not the sportswear brand's style. Instead, for its World Cup kit drop, the brand inserted itself unapologetically in amongst it and allowed Gen Z audiences to discover the brand-new kits for themselves. 

Shunning the usual celeb-studded kit launch, for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Adidas and TBWA\London ripped up the rule book and hid the brand-new kits in plain sight. The kits were quietly positioned in cultural hotspots across the various countries of launch. In Japan, the kits appeared in specially commissioned editions of major Manga comics Blue Lock and Giant Killing; in Argentina, the kit was hidden on the wall of the national team’s favourite barbershop; and in Mexico, it was worn by a chef at a famous Taco shop.

These carefully selected places were the only locations the kits could be seen by the public and for two months adidas would neither confirm nor deny that this was an official launch. The silence from the brand enraged eager football fans but also created conversation and anticipation across social media and beyond. 

The sneaky activation caused a stir amongst Gen Z audiences who felt rewarded by spotting the kits and went on to stoke the fires of conversations online. The strategy played on the culture of football leaks and fakes and the clever selection of locations allowed the brand to meet Gen Z where they already are. 

To reveal that adidas was behind the launch, TBWA\London worked with all seven local markets to create a high-energy film bringing all of the drops together in one place. To add authenticity and personality, high-level influencers from the various regions were filmed revealing the hidden kits while Spanish national team footballers Pedri and Ferran Torres were over-layed messaging each other, wondering how they missed the launches and how they could get their kits. The leak gained impressions across the globe without implementing traditional formal media strategy.

In a world where cultural currency is invaluable, the adidas World Cup kit launch is a masterclass in engaging audiences where they are. The simplicity and subtlety of the campaign sees the brand create its own conversation without forcibly leading the narrative or interrupting. By being highly in tune with an audience's interests but unafraid to do things differently, the kit launch is proof of the power of engaging in culture in real-time.