What can Adidas teach us about creating authentic content?

In March last year, Adidas Sweden launched its first campaign focusing on exercise and sports during Ramadan - "From sunrise to sunset". This year, they took the campaign a step further by also enabling chats with health and fitness experts, during the month of fasting. This initiative is a great example of representation that reflects the diversity of Swedish consumers. So, let's take a closer look at the different elements required to create inclusive communication.

1. define the target audience - and be specific

Redwaan Hossain, Brand Comms Manager at Adidas and the brains behind the campaign, shares some key insights in Think with Google:

Around 8% of Sweden's population is Muslim. That means almost 1 million people who live and work here, watch ads and want to see themselves represented in the content they consume. These individuals spend an estimated SEK 1.5 billion during Ramadan.

Ramadan is a holy month in Islam, when Muslims are encouraged to engage in extra prayer, increased charity and generosity, and spiritual discipline, including fasting from sunrise to sunset. Redwaan Hossain, a Muslim himself who actively exercises, realized that many like him face a choice as Ramadan approaches: either fast and refrain from exercise or continue exercising and refrain from fasting. But a few years ago, he tried combining fasting with exercise and was surprised to find that it actually worked. Hossain's personal experience became the starting point for Adidas Sweden's first Ramadan campaign.

2. creating authenticity through knowledge and personal experience

To ensure the authenticity of the campaign, Adidas Sweden chose to work with the advertising agency Obeya. The agency's Creative Director, Canan Yasar, is a Muslim himself and was a key member of the team. The film director, who is also Muslim, has previous experience of combining fasting with high performance sport as a professional footballer in Bangladesh.

In Think with Google, Yasar emphasizes the importance of having knowledge about the topic you are communicating and the audience you are addressing. "It's about not assuming things without understanding and respecting the specific context."

3. use goals and objectives to create relevant content

The overall goal is to position Adidas as the most inclusive brand in Sweden. Not just in sports, but among all brands. And to know if it is getting there, measurable targets were set, such as increasing the number of searches and top rankings on Google, as an indicator of market share growth.

The aim of the campaign strategy was to educate and create a dialog with the target group, to show that Adidas Sweden cares about their health and well-being. Based on this, exercise advice combined with information on fasting and exercise was shared, including via a dedicated content hub for the campaign, with well-known profiles. Both to Muslim athletes and to those around them who support and coach them. A campaign video with the message that it is possible to train during fasting, which was shown on channels such as YouTube and Led screens in Sweden's stadiums. And a PR plan to reach out to traditional media.

This year, the concept was further developed by focusing more on support around training, thus adding the possibility to chat directly with Adidas experts in training and health, via a company account on Whats app.

Successful campaign and important initiative

Adidas Sweden's 'From Sunrise to Sunset' initiative is an important step towards inclusive marketing and demonstrates how brands can create authentic content that reflects different groups and backgrounds. By involving representative team members and listening to their experiences, Adidas Sweden has created a campaign that is not only relevant to Muslims during Ramadan, but also to anyone who values inclusion and diversity in society.

Read more about the campaign: https://www.adidasxramadan.se/

If you feel inspired to create your own campaign that can make a difference, don't hesitate to contact us. We are happy to act as a sounding board, strategic support or help with the actual execution. Together we can create a positive impact!