Plastic pollution is a hot topic throughout the world.

Because it needs to be.

adidas has been working with Parley for the Oceans, an organisation that raises awareness about the beauty and fragility of the oceans, since 2015, to fight plastic pollution and make people aware that it’s a problem. The partners are supporting Run for the Oceans, this year, for the second year in a row. Run for the Oceans is a global running movement raising awareness about the threat of ocean plastic pollution, by activating runners all over the world through events and activities to “run for the oceans”. Each kilometre run counts as a symbolic gesture and over 10 million kilometres have been recorded so far.

adidas’ Running’s global creative partner, TBWA\Neboko, has created a global toolkit for Run for the Oceans, calling on local running groups to unite in one movement to raise awareness for the threat of marine plastic. To support it, TBWA\Neboko developed creative assets for six key cities.

The agency has also created the global campaign, FW18 UltraBOOST Parley, embedding its new UltraBOOST running shoe into the initiative. The fabric of the new adidas running shoe is is made from recycled plastic. The campaign film, made with stop-motion animation, uses that fabric as a canvas. On it, the creation story of the UltraBOOST Parley is told through embroidery.

TBWANeboko & adidas: Runners throughout the world power the fight against marine plastic pollution

Thomas Jullien, creative director at TBWA\Neboko spoke to The Stable about the agency’s work:

The Stable: Where did the campaign idea come from?

Thomas Jullien: The idea came from the partnership between adidas and Parley. Together they’ve created a yarn made from oceans plastic and turned it into a shoe. Our role as an agency was to bring the story behind the product and the movement to life. We knew it had to be big and thus, resonate on a global scale. We partnered with the local adidas running captains & crews to be the ambassadors of the movement. Runtastic played a big role during the launch and beyond as this was the platform that hosted the activation. 

TS: What challenges did you have to conquer? What helped to make it easier?

TJ: When people have the opportunity to take part in a great movement for a great cause, magic happens. Once the campaign was out, the world took notice. Adidas running crews & influencers did an amazing job in getting people motivated through their social posts to take part and Run for the Oceans.

TS: Has working on the project changed the team’s plastic waster attitudes or behaviour?

TJ: This project certainly changed the team’s view of plastic and plastic consumption. We are very aware of the impact it has on our planet and as such have become more conscious of our day to day plastic consumption – especially when it comes to single use plastics like water bottes & plastic bags. It is still a long way to go before everyone will follow, but it needs to happen one step at a time.

TS: It can be difficult to marry a brand’s selling goal and a cause goal – authentically – or indeed two goals in one advert. Were these concerns part of the campaign planning? How did they affect your decisions?

TJ: Indeed. The strength of the campaign is fundamentally its authenticity. We’ve worked with real runners and running as a platform to elevate our main message: if the oceans die we die.  We’ve used creativity to deliver a message that resonates with the world staying truth to adidas DNA: Sports has the power to change lives & the world.