adidas

London Creator Lab

Ahead of the 2018 World Cup Adidas wanted to understand what it meant to be a young creative in London. To celebrate the world’s biggest sporting competition, the brand wanted to stage an immersive, experiential event in the heart of the capital. But to do that they needed to tap into the undergrowth of the city.

With consumer experience agency TMS I worked as a Researcher and Cultural Strategist. The first step was to get under the skin of London. I headed out into the capital, conducting 8 deep-dive ethnographic interviews with creatives who call London home. Over the course of a fortnight I spoke to promising documentary makers, aspiring radio presenters, budding photographers and a crop of young footballers and got to the heart of what it meant to be a young creative in London. We spoke about hopes, dreams, obstacles and opportunity, and it was these conversations and insights that would go on to road map the campaign.

The next stage was strategy. After co-creation sessions and heavy brainstorming, we emerged with a broad selection of ideas, all rooted in the intention of connecting London creators with the very best adidas product and partners. By understanding the struggles, obstacles and barriers creators in the city faced, we were able to develop the Creator Base, into a valuable experience for all who attended.

Through it all, the Creator Base was born. Over five days during the 2018 World Cup, adidas Football breathed new life into Shoreditch. There were intense football tournaments, creative workshops, screen printing stations, stunning live performances and more. It was the brands leading experiential activation for the World Cup and drew attendance from the likes of Skepta, Stormzy, AJ Tracey, Not3s, Fredo and more, as well as receiving coverage in Soccer Bible, Campaign and VERSUS.