They Call Him ‘Ant-Man’: How Adidas Finally Cracked the Code on a Signature Sneaker
Adidas, 2024
Despite many attempts, no athlete signature shoe has stuck within the cultural zeitgeist since Lebron, Kobe, or arguably MJ. Countless brands and athletes have put sneakers in the marketplace, hoping to recreate what Nike & the aforementioned have done. Even Nike itself has tried again and again. Yet nothing has stuck.
Enter Adidas and Anthony Edwards.
While it's nearly impossible to replicate the success of a Kobe, Lebron, or Jordan - the AE x Adidas line is gunning for the throne.
There’s not one specific thing you can’t point to to explain why the AE is sticking - but rather viewing the campaign in totality - to understand how Adidas is striking a chord in the cultural pulse of sports, fashion, and beyond.
(Disclaimer: I don’t consider myself a sneaker expert or even much of a sneakerhead. But I’m a marketer who can recognize game when I see it.)
Why Ant?
Anthony Edwards - aka Ant Man, Top Dawg, Your Favorite Hoopers’ Favorite Hooper - is the perfect athlete for the next global shoe brand. We haven’t seen an athlete with this level of charisma in a long time.
He’s at the height of his playing career thus far - All-Star appearances, fresh off a WCF run, legitimate comparisons to Jordan, ‘face of the league’ talk - and he’s hunting for more.
He’s more popular than ever - a key role in the USA Basketball Gold Medal run and a starring role in Netflix’s Starting 5 documentary.
A former number 1 overall draft pick, Edwards has a personality brimming with a mix of self-belief, trash talk, humor, and swagger. There’s no question why he's the perfect modern athlete to center a product line around.
Remember - Adidas signed Edwards right after he was drafted. Maybe it was luck of the draw - or maybe they had the foresight to know he’d be the total package.
Adidas, 2024
The Campaign
Centered around an overarching theme - ‘Believe That’ - Adidas has created a world for Edwards to stand alone and welcome the public into his universe.
Beyond the campaign specifics, which I’ll break down, there’s one major key to the success: Adidas lets Ant be Ant. They provide space for the world to fall in love with the athlete (and inevitably the shoe) and let the campaign breathe.
Another key throughline you’ll see during each piece of this campaign is the art direction. Beyond the high-quality production, the color treatment is on point. Each spot features an endless peach-colored backdrop. Not only does this reflect a colorway for the sneaker, but it’s also an ode to Edward's home - Atlanta, GA - the Peach State. It's a subtly that may go over the heads of most, but when noticed, illustrates the cookie crumbs a brand can use to create consistency and put a campaign over the top, bringing it home.
The Creative
Receipts
An incredible offseason commercial, Adidas and Edwards show they’re not here to mess around. Touting Ant as a receipt-keeping, trash-talking, ready-for-anything athlete, they set the stage for the public to ‘Believe That’. Coated in personality, they don’t hold back. Taking direct shots at big names practically ensures this ad would catch buzz, commentary, and maybe even some backlash (we hear you, Cam’ron). They give us a deeper look at Edwards and his trash-talking ability, showcasing his bravado in a timely, culturally relevant way. Who knows, Edwards may just have a receipt on you too.
No Lie
A unique, personal illustration of what we’re getting with Edwards. The key with this spot - Adidas doesn’t try to sell you on the sneaker directly. What are they selling us on? Ant-Man and everything he brings with him. The charisma, suave, and slick nature of his personality. The fact that he's hungry for more. The concept, script, and acting, mix for one of the most unique sports ads in recent memory.
Scary Good
A timely Halloween ad, Adidas takes on a childlike identity, resonating in a light & holiday-centric way. Featuring child actors is a direct signal that Adidas is not only positioning the AE1 as a sneaker for right now but for the long-term future. It's an ode to the new generation of fans that don’t have a Lebron, Kobe, or MJ to grow up with - making their case for Edwards to be just that for today’s kids.
No one Touching the AE1
This quick social spot continues the trash-talking and humor throughline of the campaign, while again not holding back and taking more direct shots. This time around, Adidas is selling you on the product against other sneakers in the market. Claiming your sneaker is the top sneaker in the game as it releases is such bravado that only Edwards can pull off.
Numerous additional spots have emerged, continuing the effectiveness of this campaign. The additional youth focus in ‘Buzzer Beater’ is reminiscent of old Gatorade commercials. ‘AKA’ provides space for us to see Edwards clearly with further insight into his personality. Pick your favorite - it too has a place in the story arch.
Why it Sticks
Storytelling: Adidas creates a world where Edwards can be himself and uniquely tell the brand story. Silencing the doubters, taking shots at real NBA stars, alluding to his journey, and creating an arch around ‘Ant-Man’. It's fun, arrogant, and smooth.
Cross-channel approach: Adidas executes this campaign with a great marketing mix of traditional commercials, social-first content, YouTube placements, out-of-home, and influencer usage.
Colorways: Beyond the Georgia-coded peach debut colorway, they’ve released a few other key styles - McDonald’s All-American, Light Purple (a nod to Prince, Minnesota’s own), and Bred (a nod to UGA). These are all an ode to some part of Edwards's story and fit into the campaign arch.
High-quality production: we’re not just talking about the video production quality - it's the art direction, casting, script writing, and concepting. A level of quality that has been missing from signature shoe campaigns for too long.
Adidas, 2024
Throughout the entirety of the campaign, Adidas is not just selling you on the sneaker. They’re selling the player and brand of Anthony Edwards. Providing space for the consumer to fall in love with Edwards will inevitably lead the consumer to fall in love with the sneaker - if convincing enough. It may not happen for everyone with the AE1 release, but by the time the AE3 or 4 is out, we’ll be so infatuated with the world of Ant-Man that we’ll need the sneaker too.
See, Adidas doesn’t want this to be viewed as a top sneaker simply because of the product, but because of the attachment to the player. A strategy that hasn’t worked since Lebron and Kobe, Adidas is taking a bet on themselves and a bet on Edwards to live up to the hype on the court.
Additionally, Adidas is capitalizing on every angle of this. At this point, whenever there is a camera on Edwards, there’s now a camera on Adidas. They’re blurring the lines between player and product effectively and powerfully.
Within the last season, Edwards has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan for his playing style, swagger, and even looks. The best brands know how to play on nostalgia and repurpose it for modern times. The ‘next face of the league’ is deserving of a campaign riddled with nostalgia yet coated in digital modernity. So, it's not far off when pundits claim this campaign to be reminiscent of old Jordan ads from the 90s.
Adidas, 2024
The Results
What this campaign has brought to Adidas (thus far):
Enhanced brand visibility and relevance among young fans, laying the groundwork for the totality of Edwards's career and future AE releases.
Strengthened positioning amongst competitors, such as Nike, who’s recently slipped in marketplace power due to retail shelf-pulling and corporate chaos.
Driven sales for the AE1 and Adidas at large - perhaps Edwards had a small part in the 14% stock price increase Adidas has seen over the last year.
The Ant-Man effect - touting its popularity, creating FOMO, and strengthening the association between Adidas and Edwards.
Sneaker of the Year, a crown jewel of the sneaker world, was awarded to the AE1 at ComplexCon in November 2024.
You can tell the strategy worked since you can only find AE1s via resale and even the Jordan brand began taking shots back at Edwards and Adidas.
In Sum
What Adidas can’t do is predict virality, make Edwards charismatic, or even make the perfect player for a signature sneaker.
However, if you could make that perfect player, Anthony Edwards is him. The charisma, bravado, skill level, popularity, and numerous other characteristics give Edwards the star power he needs.
Pair this with perfect timing, tasteful execution, and Adidas’ ability to capitalize from every angle, they’ve done what no brand has done in years.
Time will tell if the product will continue to be well-received by sneakerheads. Time will tell if Edwards will continue to back it all up on the court.
But one thing is for certain - the perfect campaign will get people talking. And they sure are - just ask Ant.
He’s got the receipts.
