The Rise of Anthony Edwards and the Adidas Campaign
Anthony Edwards has taken the NBA (and sneaker marketing) world by storm.
While his role in the Minnesota Timberwolves growing success in recent seasons has made him an athlete to watch for hoopers, his unapologetic personality has made his popularity boom. Some see his bold confidence as cocky, but his true fans can’t get enough of it and resonate with his edgy competitiveness on and off the court.
This campaign comes from the geniuses at Johannes Leonardo. View their case study here.
Unapologetic Branding: How Ant’s Personality Defines the Campaign
Many recent sneaker campaigns by other NBA stars have started to blur together without much truly setting them apart. Johannes Leonardo saw Ant’s personality and exploding popularity as an opportunity to break the mold, turn heads, and stir the pot. Known for making iconic comments like ‘Bring Ya Ass’ when Charles Barkley mentioned he hadn’t been to Minneapolis yet– which became a state-wide joke for organizations from Target to libraries. Safe to say Ant’s known for making waves both on and off the court. Most NBA sneaker campaigns focus on shoe design or the player's fanbase. The AE1 campaign took a different approach—centering on Ant’s unapologetic personality.
Cultural Callbacks: Tapping into the Legacy of Michael Jordan
While Ant’s personality does the heavy lifting, Adidas was able to leverage cultural context and existing associations that people have with other brands to position theirs well. For the AE1 campaign, they took Ant’s unofficial title as ‘The Next Michael Jordan’ and leaned into it fully. The ‘AKA’ ad directly mimics the ‘Banned’ ad Michael Jordan did with Nike, and the overall feel of each of the Adidas ads has the same minimalist, unapologetic style of those of the 90’s.
Leveraging culture is the key to sticking with ‘your people’. Adidas knew hoopers were already comparing Ant with MJ with his on court skill and unoffendable persona. They took the associations to a whole new level, calling on the nostalgia that everyone knows and loves from MJ’s prime, while adding a fresh and distinct twist to make it truly ‘Ant.’
Bold Moves: Direct Callouts to Competitors
Adidas knows Anthony Edwards. He’s bold with an unapologetic confidence and stands ten toes down on who he is. He’s not afraid to piss some people off with the things he says– a true competitor through and through. This was crafted into the AE brand DNA, making the more direct, controversial approach a perfect fit. Here are a few examples–
1. The Ones You Need: View the Ad
Taking self-confidence to a whole new level. With direct comparisons to other player’s shoes including LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, Luka Dončić, and LeBron James, the campaign isn’t afraid to be direct and say they’re the best. While there have been some other campaigns with direct call-outs to competitors in the past, none do it quite like Adidas. It’s one thing to claim to be a ‘bold unapologetic brand’, but another entire to walk it out to the fullest.
2. Receipts: View the Ad
Ant’s gotten his fair share of hate. Being unapologetic comes with that. This ad directly references tweets that other NBA players (names included) have made about his bold confidence on the court as a younger player.
Believe it or not, neither of these ads directly mentions the shoes. They do something so much more powerful– they build the over-brand feel that does more than any promoting features ever could. The message they’re after is that wearing these shoes gives you that same unshakable confidence that you see in Ant. What hooper wouldn’t want that?
Walk It Out: Building an Unoffendable Brand
Know Your Brand DNA
Your brand DNA serves as the compass for everything your brand expands into. Like Adidas, when you know who you are, bold decisions feel natural—and they resonate with the right audience. They’re core to who you are. With the AE1 campaign, being completely unapologetically confident means making these direct and controversial advertising choices is the perfect fit. But it’s not for everyone– knowing your brand DNA means you can create that same cult following in your own lane.
Leverage Cultural Context
Your people already have brands they like and are drawn to certain culture. Great brands position themselves within this context and leverage existing brands to connect with their people. For us at Supersonic, we connect share things about athletes and fashion to position ourselves with people that share that interest, even if their brand isn’t necessarily in that industry. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to be culturally relevant, you need to leverage existing associations people have… meaning knowing your people is a MUST.
Don’t be for everyone.
Deeply connecting with your people requires the decision to not be for everyone. The more directly you talk to ‘your people’, the more they feel seen by your brand and resonate with who you are. This also means that there are more people that don’t resonate with who you are– great brands learn to accept and even lean into this. Losing followers, subscribers, etc. isn’t always a loss. Many times, it means you’re being more direct with your messaging– connecting deeper with your people, and turning away others that aren’t,
The Power of Bold, Unapologetic Branding
Some people find the approach of the AE1 campaign cocky and unprofessional… but Ant and Adidas both know that those aren’t their people. Their people deeply resonate with the unapologetic confidence and competitive nature of the marketing approach. Is this style of marketing for every brand? No. But finding your brand’s DNA and standing ten toes down on it is.
