apparel

For Women Runners, Adidas Summons The F-Word

These days, plenty of women are fast, furious and fierce as, well, f*#k. And Adidas is shining the light on them as many lace up for the TCS New York City Marathon.

The new ad, running on YouTube and other digital platforms, stars six different women scheduled to run in Sunday’s race, including 70-year old Kathrine Switzer, the marathon pioneer, who gets billed as Fearless AF. Switzer broke barriers when she ran the Boston Marathon in 1967. (The spot includes footage of men trying to shove her off the course as she ran.) Others featured are Mary Keitany, called Determined AF, the Kenyan long-distance runner and the second fastest female marathoner in history, and model Karlie Kloss, a.k.a. Boss AF, an Adidas spokesperson running her first marathon.

advertisement

advertisement

“Our goal is to send a provocative message,” says a spokesperson for Adidas. “It celebrates real women who break down stereotypes and create their own path in the name of sport through confidence and creativity.” 

If the imagery evokes “Fearless Girl” sentiment and the fiery sparks of the Women’s March, it’s no accident: The voiceover is a male narrator, talking about how women aren’t tough enough or fast enough, and how they fear true competition. “Women are already empowered with the authority to create their own path,” the spokesperson says. “We built this campaign to encourage women to find the confidence to do so.”

Part of the campaign, created by Kamp Grizzly, includes photo booth and t-shirt creation stations so people can create their own “_____ AF” manifesto at the brand’s flagship store in New York, and share them on social using the #takecharge hashtag.

The new effort comes as Adidas is beating up on its competitors. “An underdog only two years ago, Adidas repositioned itself in the U.S. market as a fresh brand with unique product to offer, and has since become the hottest brand in athletic footwear,” writes Matt Powell, sports industry analyst at NPD, in his outlook on athletic apparel for the coming holiday season.

The women’s segment is becoming increasingly important, but also elusive. Earlier this week, on the heels of its first sales drop since going public in 2005, including big disappointments in its women’s line, Under Armour announced the departure of both its CMO and the general manager of its women’s and youth categories.

A spokesperson for the marathon says more than 24,600 women are entered in the race this year, about 42% of the field. Their average age is 39.3. 

Next story loading loading..