Adidas Kicks It Old-School for 60th Birthday

Stars Come Out for Classic 1980s Hip-Hop House Party

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 11.28.08 @ 03:03 PM

England and LA Galaxy soccer star David Beckham has joined a diverse group of other stars including Katy Perry, Estelle and Missy Elliott for a new Adidas commercial that's essentially a 60-second house party snapshot. Soundtracked to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons' 1967 hit "Beggin" remixed by DJ Pilooski, the ad also features hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, rappers Method Man, Redman and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and The Ting Tings.

The commercial, which hit the screens on November 25, is the kick-off spot for Adidas' "60 Years Of Soles and Stripes" anniversary, which the company says is its largest global campaign. Montreal-based agency Sid Lee, which created and produced it, was named the global advertising agency for Adidas Originals at the start of 2008 after working on various communication and retail projects for the brand over the last few years.

The creative will come to life in a complete through-the-line offering including two television spots, cinema, digital, retail, activation events and a print campaign shot by RJ Shaughnessy. Adidas is also teaming up with a number of other "cool" brands, including Italian scooter manufacturer Vespa, which is also featured in the commercial.

Nice commercial and idea, though the mind boggles as to what the production budget must have been for this star-studded extravaganza.

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Mike Tunnicliffe is a partner in Los Angeles based Filament Entertainment Group