Building community instead of buying reach

Challenge

adidas needed cultural credibility and depth in local communities that paid media couldn't buy — sustained over years, not weeks.

Strategy

• Barter-first partnerships aligned to creator taste and long-term relationship value.
• Recurring rituals (runs, workshops, roundtables) instead of one-shot campaigns.
• Cross-partner special projects (NFT, Ultraboost, Superstar Moscow) as narrative anchors.

Execution

• 100+ seasonal adidas Running sessions with local heroes and marathon prep.
• End-to-end delivery of Ultraboost 21 campaign with Gorchilin and Gorbacheva — talent, script, production, PR.
• adidas × Replyansky NFT art object with a charity foundation — coordinated brand, artist and foundation.
• Superstar Moscow: 14 partner locations, city route, limited edition, media plan.

Results

• 4,000+ organic KOLs engaged over the partnership.
• 87,000+ organic posts and stories generated by the community.
• +672% UGC growth in six months.