Adidas recently partnered with Game of Thrones and released a new line of shoes on their website. The shoes come in all sorts of colors and each have their own Westeros-ian theme, such as the Icy Blue White Walker or the Targaryen-specific Fire and Blood. Stehpan Schneider, the Senior Project Manager at Adidas had this to say about the collaboration:
“When you look at Adidas and HBO, or Game of Thrones particularly, you have two powerhouses and two iconic brands. We wanted to bring a sports icon and blend that with a cultural icon to create a really powerful and meaningful story.”

Big name companies such as Adidas don’t make moves like this very often so it is very unique in its own way. It was surely a power move and I am sure it will be of great success. Head on over to their website and you cant miss it.

Within an athletic based company such as Adidas there is a significant amount of money spent on advertising and marketing. As the company creates marketing techniques they also calculate the specific audiences that they will appeal to. In many ad campaigns, such as the one seen above, athletic brands will display amateur athletes with the hope that it will generate further profit for their company. Besides professional athletes, these young kids chasing their dreams are the biggest source of profit that the company has. In todays world our kids have this idea in their mind that if they wear the best they will be the best, and major company’s like Adidas use his to their own advantage.

Year after year we tune in to watch the Super Bowl. Whether its to see Tom Brady win yet another ring, or because your own team has finally gone the distance, or you just turn it on and invite company over for the social thrill of it all, you understand that this game is different. If you are one of the many who justify watching the Super Bowl strictly for entertainment and social purposes, then you probably possess a keen eye for the commercials. Considering the millions of dollars that company’s spend on a 30 second air slot, you would hope the commercials would be fresh, genuine pieces of advertising that would capture your attention for a brief moment and certainly leave you feeling different types of emotion. Lucky for us all, they never disappoint.

This year however, the NFL released an ad of its own in honor of the 100th anniversary of the prestigious league. In light of all the drama that gravitates toward the sport and the league, the NFL wanted to remind the fans why they love the game. In doing so they combine fast-paced action with comedic disaster and it is extraordinary. Whether your dad was the biggest Joe Montana fan, or your son is the biggest Odell Beckham Jr. fan, this ad had true fans captivated the moment you heard “Fumble!” Past legends and current phenoms scrambling around a fancy dining hall as if it were the playground where they first picked up the pigskin.

Throughout the comedic relief and mesmerizing athleticism, there was a part of the ad that not many took note of. In a world where women are finally starting to be acknowledged and appreciated for being themselves, the NFL makes it a point to push those boundaries and involve the likes of Sam Gordon. Gordon, a 15 year old girl who started a football league of her own that has began to flourish of late. Not only is she seen on screen, but she is pictured as the bad*ss who tells Richard Sherman (one of the most feared defenders in the league) that if he wants the ball… he’ll have to “come and get it.” Now, whether you’ve never took in a game before, or whether you’ve never caught one, this commercial does something for you. It could be whatever you wanted it to be. But as far as I’m concerned it was a brilliant success on all accounts.