https://youtu.be/UkdsGeJxDcA
For years now, adidas has been gaining ground on Nike and loosening their stranglehold on the cultural relevance they’ve always maintained in the sneaker industry. Maybe it was a result of Kanye West switching sides, jumping from the Swoosh to the Three Stripes last summer, or maybe it was already underway beforehand and that was just the tip of the iceberg, but whatever the case it’s indisputable at this point: adidas is surging. Now, they’re adding some new names into the fray, and showing yet again that their finger is on the pulse much more than Nike, and it continues to pay off in a major way.
For their newest ad campaign, adidas unveiled a 90-second commercial titled “ORIGINAL is never finished 3,” starring Atlanta rappers Young Thug, 21 Savage and Playboi Carti. For Thug, the fashion world is nothing new, as he’s ripped a few runways and the conversation of his fashion choices is so prominent that he once rapped “Every time I dress myself, I go mothaf***in’ viral” on his hit “Halftime.”
But for 21 and Carti it’s a much more monumental occasion, as adidas places them next to their flagship stars James Harden and Kendall Jenner. Carti and 21 speak to and for the youth, and adidas knows it, and leaning on them as faces of their newest campaign speaks again to how tapped in they are to the culture.
