• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 14, 2011

Adidas says "All Adidas," the marketing campaign it will unveil March 16, is its biggest brand campaign ever. The German company will use 30-second and 60-second TV spots, plus a two-minute online video, to convince consumers that Adidas is a brand that means something both on and off the field.

While the spots are studded with as many mega-athletes as any other sneaker campaign -- including NBA star Derrick Rose, soccer legend David Beckham, skateboarders and the University of Notre Dame football players -- they also feature musicians, namely pop princess Katy Perry and hip-hop artist B.o.B. It's also the first time it has combined advertising for all its Adidas brands, Sport Performance, Adidas Originals, and Adidas Sport Style, in one campaign.

"It's conventional wisdom that something like 80 to 85% of athletic shoes are never even worn for their intended purpose," Matt Powell, an analyst at SportsOneSource, tells Marketing Daily. "It is a fashion business, and it is a business that's driven by celebrities, so a campaign like this is absolutely appropriate." He adds that Nike, the market leader both in the U.S. and around the world, has also collaborated with musicians -- although more in design than in marketing.

"Today's consumers are not one-dimensional," said Patrik Nilsson, president of Adidas America, in the company's release. "They live across the cultural spectrum and that's where Adidas has its edge. The Adidas brand extends beyond sports and 'all Adidas' celebrates this breadth of passion from athletes, musicians, artists and beyond."

The company says the campaign, which also includes a presence on both YouTube and Facebook, "is the celebration of the game face -- the look of glory or defeat we reveal at the most pivotal moment in the game." As part of the effort, the company is asking fans to submit their own best game face photo on Facebook for a chance to be in a commercial. Montreal-based ad agency Sid Lee created the campaign.

While Nike is still the bigger company, Powell says, "Adidas and Nike have relative parity in Europe. Nike has a big lead in the U.S. and a big lead in China, which will be probably the second-largest market after the U.S. in the year ahead."

He adds that Adidas' Reebok unit, which had been in a major slump since being acquired by Adidas back in 2007, "is in major comeback mode. It had about an 8% share at the time of the acquisition, and then fell. But it is doing well with its toning footwear as well as its Zig technology, and it's now come back up to 5%. In the U.S., Reebok is actually a bigger brand than Adidas."