Adidas Originals: Original Is Never Finished
Adidas Originals needed to reclaim its leadership in street culture from competitors who were faster at capturing the youth zeitgeist. Johannes Leonardo was tasked with evolving the brand's "Original" positioning for a generation that values constant creation over heritage. They needed to move beyond nostalgia to prove that the brand's past is a tool for the future, targeting young urban creators globally.
Creative Idea
Remixed cultural icons and a classic song to prove originality is a perpetual work - in - progress.
Adidas redefined originality by remixing iconic cultural symbols and Frank Sinatra's "My Way," proving that true creativity is an ongoing process of evolution rather than a static achievement, successfully reclaiming the brand's status as a pioneer for a new generation.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
A deep archive of iconic silhouettes and a legacy of being the "original" street - culture brand.
Category
Sportswear brands often fetishize the past as a static museum piece or rely on repetitive celebrity endorsements.
Customer
Young creators who felt "originality" was an unattainable, finished peak rather than an accessible, ongoing process.
Culture
A culture of remixing, sampling, and digital reinterpretation where nothing is sacred and everything is raw material.
Company
A deep archive of iconic silhouettes and a legacy of being the "original" street - culture brand.
Category
Sportswear brands often fetishize the past as a static museum piece or rely on repetitive celebrity endorsements.
Strategy:
Redefine a static brand attribute as a continuous, evolving process to invite participation and cultural relevance.
Customer
Young creators who felt "originality" was an unattainable, finished peak rather than an accessible, ongoing process.
Culture
A culture of remixing, sampling, and digital reinterpretation where nothing is sacred and everything is raw material.
Strategy:
Redefine a static brand attribute as a continuous, evolving process to invite participation and cultural relevance.
Results
The campaign achieved massive global scale with over 300 million views and became the #1 trending video on YouTube in the US. It generated a 25% increase in global sales and a 35% increase in brand desire. The work was highly awarded, winning the Grand Prix in Music at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, along with 8 other Lions. It reached the top of the charts as the #1 most shared ad on social media during its launch month, driving a 12% lift in purchase intent among the Gen Z target audience.
300M+
Global Views
+25%
Global Sales Increase
Grand Prix
Cannes Lions Music Category
Strategy Technique
Flip the Conventional Wisdom
Instead of treating "original" as a finished state or a heritage trophy, the campaign argues that being original means constantly breaking and rebuilding what came before to stay relevant.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Retell a Known Story
The campaign reinterprets Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and classical art masterpieces to demonstrate that the past is a canvas for the future, reinforcing the idea that originality is a continuous cycle of recreation.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
The campaign masterfully deconstructs and reassembles cultural iconography through a surrealist lens, anchored by a hauntingly modern reimagining of a classic anthem.
The remix of Frank Sinatra's 'My Way' serves as the conceptual and rhythmic backbone, transforming a traditional standard into a defiant contemporary manifesto.
High-contrast, visceral imagery references classical art like Botticelli's 'The Birth of Venus' while maintaining a gritty, street-level aesthetic.
The rapid-fire, non-linear montage creates a sense of perpetual motion that reinforces the core message that 'original is never finished'.
The visual language seamlessly blends high-fashion surrealism with urban subcultures to redefine the brand's visual identity for a new era.
The magic lies in the juxtaposition of high-art visual references with a distorted, modern soundtrack, bridging the gap between historical legacy and future innovation.
