• Brandweek, Wednesday, March 7, 2007 11:15 AM

Adidas has rolled out a global TV campaign focused on sports figures who discuss how they overcame adversity. The spots, from Omnicom Group's 180 in Amsterdam, continues the company's "Impossible is nothing" tagline, first used in 2004. Twenty-one ads feature athletes like David Beckham, the English soccer player, American basketball star Gilbert Arenas, and Jonah Lomu, a rugby player from New Zealand.

Filming was done in places including Shanghai, Madrid and Sao Paulo. "We interviewed athletes, and then we wanted to tell their stories in the most personal way that would bring out the emotion of what they went through," says Sean Thompson, creative director at 180, which has collaborated with TBWA on Adidas since 2001. "The graphics and drawings they did took you on an emotional journey." In one, Beckham intones: "You will go through tough times. It's about coming through them." On top of TV, there will be outdoor and print in sports-related magazines.

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