Kirsty Moody FM3021 Adidas Retail Experience
With Adidas being a large brand, it is easy to mix up the different customers they have to cater for. This project is catered for Adidas Futurecraft, to understand this more and to ensure I didn’t sway into the customers for Adidas Originals, I took a look and what they offered and what types of promotions they offer as well as understanding what Futurecraft does.
Adidas Originals is the It shows that there is a lifestyle side of the target customer out there Adidas brand, this for Adidas to have focuses on the consumers created a lifestyle brand life choices and what within Adidas, they also products they purchase include mini brands within for their day to day the Originals, such as: activities. These include: Superstar Shirts ZX Hoodies ZX Flux Trousers Stan Smith Sweatshirts Tubular Tracksuits Gazelle Shorts NMD Tights Trefoil Series Skirts & Dresses Los Angeles Jerseys Originals by Rita Ora Originals by Wings and Horns Samba
When visiting the Adidas site, there is an option to sign up for their mailing list, once signed up it even announces you're a part of “the team� which makes the consumers feel as though they are a part of the brand.
Adidas Futurecraft is a great way for Adidas to be creative and innovative with new ideas and designs.
In Adidas’ own words “FUTURECRAFT exists at the crossroads of tradition and technology. Putting soul into precision, passion into process – crafting the look, feel and function of tomorrow. Let us craft the future with you, for you.“ They're showcasing a new side to the brand where they are doing interesting things but still with the consumers needs first. With different products already released, its interesting to see what Adidas will do in the future with different ideas. Futurecraft is all about being an open source and creating something new where innovation is key.
To understand Futurecraft more and to know what types of products they create and work with, I decided to research them more. I looked into the news articles which had been published around the products but also the social media which showcases more of what they have done.
Adidas originally came up with the 3D printed midsole moving away from traditional foam-based technology to more breathable lattice structure (Hypebeast,2015). There were many images leaked on the internet and speculation of what the 3D printed shoe would look like, many thinking it would focus on the Yeezy 350 Boost and this would be used as a base to build off of., instead it was the Ultra Boost silhouette. Once the shoes were prototyped, some were sent out to different industries and companies to test them out and review them. Personally, I don’t like the look of the shoe as this isn’t something I would wear, however I like the concept that it cuts down on manufacturing time and they're more likely to fit rather than ordering some and waiting for them to not fit.
Another interesting product Futurecraft came up with was Futurecraft Leather, this is where Futurecraft development has allowed for a more precise creation of the footwear in order for it to shape to one’s foot for a more personal fit (Hypebeast,2015). Unlike the previous 3D shoe where it was based on the Ultra Boost silhouette, they chose a different base to work on, this time it was the classic Adidas Superstar model. This process uses a single piece of leather and removes excess material while lowering the use of adhesives. I think this a really good technique as it is cutting down on waste making it more eco friendly, but I also think these shoes are more visually appealing and attract more customers as many people like the leather style shoes such as the converse ones so many people will enjoy the benefits of the Futurecraft development.
Adidas announced a “speedfactory” which aims to be able to create more bespoke, custom shoes in large numbers sets out to allow the customer to have more say in the process (Hypebeast,2015). From this the first product which was created from this factory is the Futurecraft MFG (Made For Germany). The silhouette keeps comfort, support and style in mind via its Primeknit upper while incorporating the very popular BOOST. ARAMIS Technology has also been incorporated, this swaps the traditional three stripes and normal heel counter with a variety of patches placed throughout the shoe which creates more support.. It also has a torsion bar to its outsole to heighten its flexibility. I don’t like the look of these shoes, however I love the fact it gives more support and flexibility as that tends to be the main issue with some trainers that sometimes it doesn’t give the athlete enough support during their training but also for gym-goers who need the support on their ankles.
The latest release from Adidas Futurecraft is the Futurecraft Biofabric, this product is one that was created in partnership with AMSilk which “currently produces and distributes increasing volumes of high-quality silk biopolymers for use in textile products, medical devices and cosmetics” (Amsilk.com). The Futurecraft Biofabric is a product that’s up to 15% lighter than a product which uses conventional synthetic fibres but its also environmentally friendly as well and 100% naturally biodegradable. This is a product I really like, the colours and style of the shoe stands out in a different way to the others. It shows that the brand is looking at ways of being fashionable but also environmentally friendly, I also like the fact that it is completely biodegradable which is showing that the brand is considering all the things which would benefit the rest of the world but also keeping the consumers up to date with the latest trends.
When looking at the Adidas Futurecraft site, I noticed at the bottom that they use different social media accounts to their usual Adidas account. When looking at Adidas’ social media, I noticed how many different accounts there was from Originals, Hoops, UK, Women, Football, Y-3, Running and many more. I like how they use the Running account for their Futurecraft posts as its showing that when they create certain products they know who their target audience is but it also helps show that they do want to target a variety of people but also link in with their other ranges of products. I also think its quite a unique way as some people may assume that the products are just for running and not adapt them to fit their chosen sport. I believe it may benefit the consumer more if the brands were separated even more and Futurecraft had their own separate accounts to promote the images and products more.
Initial Ideas Second Hand Swap Result of Brexit means costs are being cut, people aren’t spending Offering swaps on good condition / new products Older products can receive a discount. Trend “Trump Triggers” A service where there is a sarcastic approach to trigger relating products, showing a fun and different side to the brand.
Adidas Emoji's Compound emotions collaboration with gitmoji an open source emoji creator
Points Earning An app where you can earn points to put towards new products, like a Boots app but also testing knowledge on Adidas to earn additional points. The app also gives you information about Brexit and how it has affected Adidas.
Anti-Choice Architecture Only offering limited choices through an app, limited choice directs customers to products. Using a need not want theory.
Subconscious Bespoke A service using neuroscience, tracking brain waves to see how consumers feel when they see Adidas products
MINOTECH water-repellent fabric
The development of MINOTECH was inspired by the design of straw raincoats made in ancient Japan. It combines the usefulness of umbrella-quality fabric, the practicality of highfunction wear and the attractiveness of a fashionable material.
After my initial ideas that I came up with after visiting the LSN Global: The Future Laboratory trend talk in Nottingham in October. I decided to look at different trends and fabrics which were appearing. I found the MINOTECH waterrepellent fabric which is created by Teijin on innovationintextiles.com.
If this fabric was to be used, it would be on the trainers instead of raincoats, I think it would work well as an overlay fabric to protect the underneath fabric as many people will use their trainers through all weathers.
Anti-Choice Architecture An app located on all app stores which showcases a select few products from the Adidas range.
This idea is created from a theme taken from the LSN Global trend presentation where the customer is shown a few products at a time making the brand in charge rather than following the customers wants and desires. The app is refreshed every couple of weeks to keep the customers updated but also to not limit them too much that they would shop elsewhere.
Subconscious Emotions A service which tracks the brain waves. Experimenting with brain waves to define emotions and how they react to products and images. Relating to the customers needs and desires, helping to showcase what works and what doesn’t. The service could also be used to track athletes mental health and how they react to their chosen sport. The brain waves will pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses and what can be improved. Relating back to the sports aspect of Adidas and ensuring the athletes are looked after with what they do on a day to day basis.
Subconscious Bespoke
They will form a psychological link between the users thoughts and actions, such as in a sports environment, pushing the user beyond the norm. This would take a few years to get running as the initial step would be to track the brain waves. It contributes to the consumer as they can create products from their subconscious and what will work for them and push them. This is a product which will work better for athletes because it forms the psychological link.
This is a service relating to a product which tracks the brain waves and responds to certain emotions and styles which will define how the trainers are designed and the style of them. This makes the customer feel special as it is designed especially for them with their own ideas and emotions.
Chosen Idea Subconscious Emotions Subconscious Emotions is a service using neuroscience, to track sports players brain waves and how they react but also to see how their chosen sport affects their mental health, pinpointing their strengths and weaknesses. I decided to choose this idea for Futurecraft purely because they focus a lot on futuristic techniques and services but they also focus on their athletes which is who I want to target. Adidas is originally a sports brand before branching off into other areas and with Futurecraft this is something I want to work on and improve the athletes in a non-conventional way. This service is to track elite athlete’s mental health throughout their brain waves, during normal resting times but also when they are performing and training. The point of this service is to highlight the athlete’s strengths and weaknesses so they can improve their skills.
Understanding Brain Waves
There are four frequency bands such as Alpha (α), Beta (β), Theta (θ) and Delta (δ) according to the data provided by the International Federation of Societies for Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology [10]. The α wave is a brainwave with frequency between 8Hz and 13Hz, and with amplitude of about 50μV. The β wave has a main frequency between 13Hz and 22 Hz and a potential of about 5-20 μV. The θ wave has a frequency between 4Hz and 8 Hz. The δ wave has a frequency between 0.2Hz and 4Hz.Brainwave technique was originally for medical purpose such as diagnosing epilepsy and other brain related diseases. Fu-Chien Kao, Shinping R. Wang YuJung Chang 2015
“every brain region is wired to every other region, and these are trimmed down to create the characteristic modular architecture of the adult brain” Vilayanur Ramachandran 2007 Ted Talks.
Understanding Brain Waves As I didn’t really understand the brain waves from the different reports I found on the internet, I found it easier to understand when I found these images which explained what each pattern meant. This relates a lot to what I will be using my service for. As I want to focus on the mental health of the users of the service, these images showcasing the different stages and types of waves makes it easier to see and pinpoint how the athletes would feel and what could be done for them.
Understanding Brain Waves
The brain waves service will help as it is showing the different stages of the athletes mental health but it will also show how it changes during certain times and it can be picked apart to create a report for the athlete on what can be improved for them.
Target Customer
The main customer for this service are elite athletes who are focused on improving their mental health and skills which are orientated around how their brains work and are interested in how their brain affects their skills and chosen sport. This service is aimed at all elite athletes including footballers, Olympic athletes, tennis players, basketball players, golfers. Its aimed at all athletes who take a keen interest in their health and how their chosen sport affects this.
Rollout To figure out each step for the promotion, I decided to create an infographic which detailed what would happen. I decided not to put any dates on this as I wanted it to be quite simple and clear about which step needed what and what is needed for all of this. I decided to do this before finding my visual communications as it made it easier for me to understand what would be needed and when.
Visual Communication As the service I will be creating hasn’t already been created specifically for Adidas, I decided to use images which help represent what I am trying to get across with the use of images which show brain waves but also head gear which has been created for other experiments with different brands for brain scans. I think this is an easier way to explain what I am wanting to recreate as it is a simple process with attaching a machine to the athletes to track their brain waves and mental health through those.
Promotion Rollout May 2018: Posts from guests Hand in “mini machine” for final review Connecting with technology brands Instagram stories / snapchat / YouTube of brain waves Using LinkedIn to create buzz around videos of guest with machines Posts from all “We can’t wait to see machines/service to athletes what these results say” June 2019: July 2018: Selected few guests to take part in January – February 2020: Finalise Press List testing Collecting results Design press invites Taken from press invite guest list, Analysing weaknesses / strengths athletes who expressed an interest October 2018: March 2020: Press Event being designed July 4th 2019: athletes / footballers Instagram stories / Space being creatively designed and Athletes hooked up to machines Facebook live discuss benefits of visuals created, smaller details Receive “mini machine” each Adidas brainwaves tracking from 6 discussed Shown how to apply and hook months themselves up Shared on all platforms, LinkedIn December 2018: YouTube / Instagram / Snapchat Their weaknesses, strengths, what can Press Invites sent out they improve on Posts on social media, Week commencing 12th / 24th July / What they’ve improved on @athletes/bloggers check out your August / September: What they like about Adidas post! All athletes post updates, how they’re brainwave tracking feeling, how it’s going January 2019: September 4th: MID REVIEW, April 2020: 3D Visuals of machines and 3D Visuals Brain waves images released for each Service available to all athletes of Warehouse for Press Event individual, showing the changes Posted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, June 2020: LinkedIn, tagged athletes/bloggers Week commencing 12th / 24th UEFA Euro 2020 Sneak peeks of how it works October / November: All athletes post updates, how they’re July 2020: April 2019: feeling, how it’s going Tokyo Olympics Press Event Held Trial of machines with athletes / December 3rd 2020: bloggers Athletes return to HQ Tweets / posts countdown to event
Press Event Idea My idea for the press event would be in a warehouse with all the brain wave machines around for athletes and bloggers to trial them and see what they thought of them but also to have a mini trial to see if the machines work how they should with the brain waves monitoring mental health. In the warehouse would also be machines such as treadmills and basketball hoops so the athletes can make the most of the brain wave tracking machines during the trial.
Press Invite Idea When looking at press kits and invites, I liked the way Sephora had created theirs. For the press kit for the Subconscious Emotions I want it to be quite similar to this with the black folder, however inside would have the waves of the brain and on the front it would simply have “Adidas�. Inside would be the invitation to the press event detailing when it is but also high resolution images of the machines so the recipient knows what its about. To link in with the mental health and the stigma around it, inside the press pack would be a stress ball in the shape of a brain.
Considered Athletes / Teams / Bloggers / Magazines Manchester United Basketball Jessica Ennis-Hill – British Olympic Nottingham Forest Derrick Rose - New York Knicks Athlete (retired) Sheffield United Basketball Laura Trott / Kenny – British Olympic Sunderland Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Athlete Fulham Blazers Basketball Caught Off Side – blog Middlesbrough Matt Badham – Milton Keynes Rugby INRNG – blog West Bromwich Abion Club The5krunner – blog Cardiff City Tom Croft - Leicester Tigers Rugby the rugby blog – blog Jose Mourinho – Manchester United Ben Youngs – Leicester Tigers Rugby golfblogger.co.uk – blog Manager Paula Creamer – American Golf Fat Girl to Ironman – blog Bastian Schweinsteiger – Manchester Simona Halep – Romanian Tennis World Soccer – magazine United Midfielder Florencia Galarza - Boca Juniors FourFourTwo – magazine Zlatan Ibranimovic – Manchester Women's Futbol Defender Match – magazine United Forward Ana Ivanovic – Serbian Tennis Golf World Magazine – magazine Jose Rodriguez - FSV Mainz 05 (retired) Hannah Bronfman – Adidas Midfielder Novak Djokovic – Serbian Tennis Ambassador James Rodriguez - Real Madrid Kei Nishikori – Japanese Tennis tech – Instagram account C.F. Midfielder Caroline Wozniacki – Danish Tennis sciencealert – Instagram account Lionel Messi - FC Barcelona Forward James Harden - Houston Rockets techblogtoday – Instagram account Michael Turner - Norwich City F.C. Basketball boommovement – Instagram account Defender Candace Parker - Los Angeles technigadgets – Instagram account Gareth Bale - Real Madrid C.F. Sparks Basketball highsnobiety – Instagram account Forward, Wales Midfielder, Forward Jason Day – Australian Golf technobolt – Instagram account Luis Suarez - FC Barcelona Forward Jayson Werth - Washington ted – Instagram account Ricky Rubio - Minnesota Nationals Baseball girlontheriver – Instagram account Timberwolves Basketball Tyla Nathan-Wong – New Zealand Harrison Barnes - Dallas Mavericks Olympic Athlete
I decided on all these different athletes as they already had a connection with Adidas through sponsorships and I thought this was a good way for them to already know how Adidas worked rather than using an athlete who is connected with other brands such as Nike or New Balance. I also decided on the blogs which focus on sport and the benefits of the sport as the whole concept of my service is designed to help sport and improve the athletes. Some of the Instagram accounts such as the technology ones were chosen as they spend a lot of time promoting new and interesting technological innovations.
Considered Athletes / Teams / Bloggers / Magazines
When creating my infographic, I started off with the basic idea of using vectors to illustrate each step. I created it bit by bit using different vectors to show the stages of research, additional research, press event, social media, analysing results leading to another idea. This is just a smaller version of the actual roll out but I wanted to include this to show that detail has been thought for every stage. Initially I just had the infographic without any text but then realised it wasn’t that clear as to what each stage is so I added in more detail.
After looking at my initial infographic, I realised on its own its not that detailed and some people may not know what each step is so I decided to go into more detail about this and what each step actually means I wanted to do this because some of the vectors I decided to use didn’t really showcase everything I wanted them to.
For my final board, it took me a while to figure out a layout which would include all the information I needed it, I wanted to showcase all of the promotion that will be needed for my service but also every step ranging from the initial research to the service being rolled out to everyone.
Image References
http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/news/online- https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q= shoppers-frustrated-choice-limited-search- &esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&u head-high-st/ act=8&ved=0ahUKEwjhzquW2bXRAhWNIF http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/healthAKHdIZCesQjB0IBg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fw 18577327 ww.ferrvor.com%2Fsprint-ahead-with-adidashttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014 futurecraft/10/141016143706.htm 3d%2F&psig=AFQjCNGcdH4v80flqfzGcgB https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/363032419935 Zs8JI0v4SXw&ust=1484073074859214 888221/ http://dontquestionkings.com/tag/first/ http://megaobzor.com/GE-hochet-za-1-4- http://incolors.club/collectionbdwnmilliarda-dollarov-kupit-kompanii-SLM.html breaking-glass-ceiling.htm http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/medical http://www.catalogodiseno.com/tag/produc -technology/ tos/ http://www.xperiencefitnessblog.com/in-the- http://www.thedropdate.com/news/adidasgym/the-million-dollar-fitness-question/ futurecraft-leather-superstar http://www.innovationintextiles.com/fibres- http://www.ecouterre.com/adidas-debutsyarns-fabrics/teijin-develops-new-minotech- first-shoe-made-almost-entirely-bywaterrepellent-fabric/ robots/adidas-futurecraft-speedfactory-6/ http://www.123rf.com/stockhttp://www.juiceonline.com/adidas-originalsphoto/hit_by_enemy.html by-pharrell-williams-ss16-collection/ https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/roRhQDThttp://www.adidas.ca/en/originals PsmbpdS_IHCfgxt9QNmhttp://hypebeast.com/2015/10/adidasLROMTgHqul4KMdILkCCTjQeicAHjC_q1XJ futurecraft-3d-review qpaXPHN=s151 http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2016/ https://logodownload.org/adidas-logo/ 11/caroline-wozniacki-and-ana-ivanovichttps://plus.google.com/11344687706240 complete-star-studded-line-up-for-asb7145269/posts/hNJhoWw8Z1V classic.html https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q= http://www.vccoo.com/v/608912 &esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&u http://hypebeast.com/2016/11/adidasact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiPgYyI2bXRAhWWN futurecraft-biofabric 1AKHTubDHUQjB0IBg&url=http%3A%2F%2F http://hypebeast.com/2016/9/adidasthewebmagazine.blogspot.com%2F2015_0 speedfactory-futurecraft-mfg 6_01_archive.html&psig=AFQjCNERB8yCIp http://hypebeast.com/2016/8/on-feet-lookdL4YjvBybRoa_DWrcJUA&ust=148407304 adidas-3d-printed-futurecraft 5527617
Image References
http://hypebeast.com/2016/8/adidashttps://twitter.com/efmny/status/678999753 futurecraft-on-foot 284284417 http://hypebeast.com/2015/11/adidas- https://www.thesun.ie/archives/sport/232635 presents-futurecraft-leather /gareth-bale-lets-his-hair-down-duringhttp://mstarsnews.musictimes.com/tags/brazil/ wales-disappointing-1-1-draw-withpage2.htm georgia-but-is-he-again-hiding-a-baldhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articlepatch/ 2169489/David-Cameron-Far-Britishhttps://nathanielthompson.wordpress.com/c Olympians-went-public-school.html ategory/art/ http://www.kansascity.com/sports/highhttp://gameia.net/cr7-messi-neymar-hdschool/prep-basketball/missouri-prepwallpaper-127/ basketball/ http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/event/dallashttps://locals.travel/europe/paris/local-bars-mavericks-v-houston-rockets-game-fivepubs-cafes-wi-fi-paris/13-berlin-jazzclub- 548971775 jam-session-wednesday/ http://nypost.com/2014/12/05/jaysonhttp://www.allwidewallpapers.com/anxiety- werth-and-his-beard-are-going-to-jail/ meditation-gammahttp://behtahanlah.com/cara-untukwaves/YW54aWV0eS1tZWRpdGF0aW9uLbergaya-sporty-dengan-kasut-jenamaWdhbW1hLXdhdmVz/ adidas/ http://onufszak.com/adidas-1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWdOe http://www.wired.co.uk/article/mental-health- e-3ngY equality-letter http://brainwave-audiohttps://blog.goddessdelivers.com/sitemap.x program.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/binauralml beats-brainwave-downloads.html https://www.mixcloud.com/luke-serafin/brain- http://www.opensourceimaging.org/projects/ waves-volume-1/ http://informyourhealth.com/personal-labs-ishttp://www.hypnojourneysgroup.com/f-q-2/ the-place-from-blood-tests-to-pregnancyhttps://braintellect.com/investigatingtests-a-large-range-of-tests/ relationships-between-stress-and-health/ http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/typeshttp://quantifiedself.com/2012/02/personal brain-waves-effects-meditation/#gref -informatics-in-practice-a-cross-platform- https://www.ted.com/talks/vilayanur_ramacha smartphone-brain-scanner/ ndran_on_your_mind/transcript?language=e http://wallpapersok.com/et/pictures/9462/v n#t-439000 ersion/3588x2149 http://www.wseas.org/multimedia/journals/info http://newatlas.com/eeg-headsets-gaming- rmation/2015/a405709-517.pdf neuromarketing/18693/