adidas women's soccer: this is a women’s cleat

Women’s sports are not taken seriously, and the equipment reflects it: gear often falling victim to the practice of “pink it and shrink it” (i.e. smaller versions of men’s cleats in more "feminine" colors).

With nearly 4 million registered youth soccer players in the US, and roughly 50% of them identifying as female, we knew there was a gap between the gear and the game.

As a soccer player myself, this annoyed me. So, I convinced everyone to let me take that anger and turn it into art… By lighting a bunch of cleats on fire. 

The video spot recognized that female soccer players have long been underserved, and with the help of badass players boasting swagger, skill, and attitude, we boldly declared: it’s time for cleats of our own.

The advertisement was picked up by Ad Age in a front-page feature story. 

Paid social and organic content on Instagram, Facebook, and SnapChat targeted tomorrow's generation of female soccer athletes.

My favorite part of the campaign was seeing comments from the next generation of soccer players genuinely excited to see the first-ever cleat anatomically built for women: 

CCO: Alicia McVey

Executive Creative Director: Rick Albano
Creative Director: James Robinson
Art Director: Jacob Cowdin