Image via Adidas and Parley
*This piece first appeared in the Front Office Sports Newsletter. Subscribe today and get the news before anyone else.
Ahead of the Australian Open, Adidas and Parley for the Oceans teamed up to pull off an activation that saw them turn the iconic Bondi Icebergs Pool in Sydney into a tennis court.
Taking some time out of the craziness that is the Australian Open, Bec Ballard, Senior Manager of Brand Activation for Adidas Pacific, gave us an inside look at how they pulled off the activation.
On the idea and location…
“We were looking for a way to bring to life the story of our Parley partnership whilst launching our first Parley tennis range to the world. We wanted to visually represent the beauty of the oceans, the threat they are currently facing, and the solution that adidas and Parley are working towards. We felt the backdrop of the iconic Bondi Beach, with the symbolic empty pool (that they empty every Thursday), and then the unveiling of our footwear and apparel range made from 100% marine ocean plastic, was a perfect way to tell this story.”
Tying it to more than just sales…
“The Parley partnership is incredibly important to the adidas brand globally, and it resonates strongly with our Australian consumers. Our Parley partnership and associated products aim to protect our oceans for generations to come. This purpose aligns strongly with the Australian beach culture.”
“As a brand, we have the core belief that ‘Through sport, we have the power to change lives’. Donating the tennis court to a primary school in Western Sydney really rounded out the activation. We wanted to give the court a purpose beyond the activation; encouraging kids to be active was the ideal solution.”
[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]
On making it happen…
“The activation itself had multiple layers of complexity. When dealing with a natural environment we had to allow for many uncontrollables: the tides, the swell, and the weather. We had to be incredibly well planned, and operate with a flexible mindset. The pool is drained weekly for cleaning, so we took the small window of opportunity while the pool was empty.”
“We were given access to the empty pool at 3 am, we had to clean it, build the court, install all the signage and be ready for the event at 9 am. We had waves crashing over the side, rain, and were working in the dark! The event kicked off at 9 am and concluded by 10 am. The court had been dismantled and removed from the bottom of the pool by 10:30 am. By mid-afternoon, the pool had been filled naturally by the ocean, and people were once again swimming laps.”
On measuring KPIs…
“From a PR perspective, it completely exceeded our expectations from both reach and messaging perspective. The reach of the event extended far beyond our shores, and the more pleasing element was the integration of the message. The message about the Parley partnership and product range was prominent in all media coverage, and the sentiment was overwhelmingly positive. The products are currently available for purchase at our on-site retail store at the Australian Open, Flagship Store in the Melbourne CBD near the event, eCom and the sell-through has been very strong. We are conducting brand health research which will also be a key element in the impact of the activation for the brand.”
*This piece first appeared in the Front Office Sports Newsletter. Subscribe today and get the news before anyone else.
