adidas: Fowler's Sports
Adidas and agency Homeground needed to launch a 1995 retro Liverpool FC kit. The goal was to generate high demand and engagement among passionate football fans. They sought a creative way to differentiate the product drop from standard retail launches, aiming to capture the spirit of 90s football culture while driving significant foot traffic and online interest in the new collection.
Creative Idea
A fictional 90s sitcom shop created hype for a retro football kit launch.
Adidas launched a retro 1995 Liverpool kit by creating a fictional sitcom set in a nostalgic local sports shop. This approach turned a product drop into a cultural event, leveraging deep football heritage and humor to build massive organic demand.
The Sitcom That Sold Out The Streets
Crafting The 90s Aesthetic
To achieve the authentic look of a 1995 multi-camera sitcom, the production team at Antfarm Liverpool utilized period-accurate lighting rigs and vintage broadcast cameras. The Fowler's Sports set was constructed from scratch, incorporating authentic timber display units and slatwall panels sourced from defunct retail liquidations to ensure the shop felt like a genuine relic of the era. The color grading process was specifically tuned to mimic the slightly washed-out, warm aesthetic of mid-90s British television tapes.
A Masterclass In Fan Engagement
The campaign's success relied on blurring the lines between fiction and reality. By transforming the JD Sports flagship store in Liverpool ONE into the physical shop from the sitcom, the team created a high-traffic destination that felt like a living set. The inclusion of Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman as the shopkeepers provided a layer of genuine nostalgia that resonated with older fans, while the cameos from current stars like Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai bridged the gap to a younger demographic.
Unexpected Cultural Ripples
The project’s impact extended beyond official merchandise. The fictional Fowler's Sports branding became so culturally embedded that local fans began producing and selling their own unofficial "scally" mugs and merchandise. This organic, grassroots adoption of the fictional brand served as the ultimate proof of the campaign's authenticity. The overwhelming engagement—evidenced by 384,000 views on the launch video—was so significant that it triggered the commissioning of a Season 2, marking a rare instance where a marketing campaign evolved into a recurring entertainment series.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Adidas leveraged its authentic historical partnership with Liverpool FC to reissue iconic 90s jerseys with genuine cultural credibility.
Category
Sports brands typically rely on standard influencer unboxing videos or polished, high-production commercials to launch new kit collections.
Customer
Fans craved a deeper, more authentic connection to the club's history rather than just another modern marketing campaign.
Culture
The rising trend of 90s football nostalgia and the popularity of mockumentary-style content created the perfect environment for this launch.
Company
Adidas leveraged its authentic historical partnership with Liverpool FC to reissue iconic 90s jerseys with genuine cultural credibility.
Category
Sports brands typically rely on standard influencer unboxing videos or polished, high-production commercials to launch new kit collections.
Strategy:
Use nostalgic cultural formats to turn product scarcity into a shared, entertaining community experience.
Customer
Fans craved a deeper, more authentic connection to the club's history rather than just another modern marketing campaign.
Culture
The rising trend of 90s football nostalgia and the popularity of mockumentary-style content created the perfect environment for this launch.
Strategy:
Use nostalgic cultural formats to turn product scarcity into a shared, entertaining community experience.
Results
The campaign was highly successful, becoming the fastest selling jersey to date for the club. It achieved a massive 800% increase in engagement and accumulated 26.8M total views within the first 48 hours of its launch. Due to its popularity, a second season of the mockumentary has already been commissioned.
800%
engagement increase
26.8M
total views in 48 hours
Season 2
commissioned due to popularity
Strategy Technique
Lean Into Nostalgia
By reviving the 1995 kit through a retro sitcom, the campaign taps into the emotional longing for 90s football culture. It transforms a simple product launch into a shared memory that resonates deeply with the target audience.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Borrow a Familiar Format
The campaign adopts the aesthetic and structure of a 90s multi-camera sitcom. This familiar format immediately signals nostalgia and allows the brand to weave product storytelling into an entertaining, character-driven narrative.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign's exceptional execution lies in its authentic recreation of a 90s sitcom format, using genuine club legends to drive engagement. This nostalgic storytelling elevates it far beyond a standard product reveal.
The witty, self-aware dialogue and humorous script perfectly capture the tone of classic British sitcoms.
The meticulous set design of the retro sports shop successfully transports viewers back to the 1990s.
“The magic comes from the seamless blend of nostalgic art direction and sharp comedic writing, making the fictional shop feel entirely real to fans.”
