adidas Introduces the Best Spikeless Golf Shoe in the Industry

The objective:

The PGA Merchandise Show is the premier annual event for golf enthusiasts, welcoming 40,000+ golf industry professionals to share and explore the latest innovations and trends in golf technology, equipment, accessories and apparel. For adidas Golf, the PGA Merchandise Show is the perfect platform to launch its new “Code Chaos” footwear line (“Introducing the Best Spikeless Golf Shoe in the Industry”).

The brand invites attendees into its exhibit area, encouraging them to dive into all of the interactive, engaging exhibit elements on display and discover the truth behind “Code Chaos.” Their unique, disruptive approach includes seeding up to 500 pairs of the new shoes directly to attendees, building an immersive experience that educates audiences on the key attributes of the Code Chaos footwear while creating super buzz throughout the Show floor.

The design and experience:

Overview
Overcoming the obvious desire to showcase all new products in the front marketing area of its exhibit, adidas Golf commits their entire open marketing space to the Code Chaos footwear launch -- a departure from previous exhibit design layouts. In response to other key adidas products (like apparel and accessories) only featuring through a Sales Rep presentation, the exhibit includes a glass railing (in lieu of a full height wall) that gives visitors a full visual into the ‘Appointment Only’ sales space from the Code Chaos area. This lets the brand show all visitors on entry, a teaser of other new offerings from adidas Golf, while at the same time, keeping the main focus and drama surrounding the Code Chaos story front and center.

The Code Chaos reception area intercepts attendees on the approach to the space, begging the question of what it’s all about, thus sparking dialogue about the new footwear which is displayed on the counter. Attendees can opt to get in line for an exclusive AR experience, or, they can choose to go to the Code Chaos lounge area and experience it as an onlooker (while Code Chaos commercials/videos play on a large flat screen). They can also head over to the full Code Chaos footwear display wall to gain more firsthand knowledge of the product if they opt not to participate in the Code Chaos AR experience.

The Code Chaos AR Experience
adidas Golf creates a fun and engaging Augmented Reality experience right in the heart of the adidas exhibit at the initial entry point, located as an anchor to the Show’s Main Street. The main call to action, “Unlock The Code and Unleash The Chaos” invites attendees to jump right in and experience the AR activity.

Brand ambassadors greet all visitors to the space as soon as they step into the world of adidas Golf. Outfitted with headphones and a 15” iPad screen - the AR Experience begins at a simple portal door; launching the AR on the screen by pointing to the Code Chaos “marker” graphic, which consists of a randomly repeated “lug” pattern in the Code Chaos lime green Hero color (positioned off the side of the portal entrance).

Once attendees capture the marker within their iPad screen, a crazy electrified, chaotic visual lights up around and within the portal door, along with audio coaxing them through the entry point, and into a virtual world of Code Chaos. From there, a single [virtual] flat screen stands ominously in the middle of the room and comes to life, showing the new Code Chaos commercial, kicking off the adventure inside this virtual room.

The video finishes and then the flat screen shatters/explodes into pieces and simultaneously, triggers each giant wall of this virtual room to glide open horizontally, revealing three unique environments where more audio/video plays. Attendees are invited by the audio to uncover (learn) about the key attributes of the new Code Chaos footwear while they explore each environment (Waterproof room, Boost Technology room, TwistGrip / spikeless technology room) to collect “lugs” (proprietary sole pattern on the bottom of this revolutionary spikeless shoe).

Each room exhibits multiple airborne floating lugs that attendees can search for and collect. Once all six lugs are captured (two per room), the iPad screen launches into the grand finale, where all of the key attributes of the shoe swirl together to reveal the complete Code Chaos shoe, which revolves in mid-air. The six collected “lugs” morph into a six digit code. Upon exit of the experience, attendees can step up to the circular redemption platform where they plug their unique code into the keypad and see if they’ve “Unleashed The Chaos” and won their very own pair of Code Chaos shoes! The slick, glass display case contains one pair of floating Code Chaos shoes. If a participant’s code is a winner, the door opens, chaotic lights dance around them, music plays and they gain access to the golden Code Chaos ticket to complete their new pair of footwear. From the winners circle, they can head over to the fitting area where a brand ambassador fits them in the proper size footwear and their address is collected for shipping. All participants receive an adidas branded bright green sack pack.

AR / Edutainment
Education is key along with gamification to highlight the key attributes of the new Code Chaos footwear. This echoes the primary message of the “‘Best Spikeless Golf Shoe in the Industry,” with a key play using the unique and proprietary spikeless technology on the bottom of the shoes called a “lug”. The lugs feature in the signage, call to action “Unlock the Code, Unleash The Chaos”, the marker graphic, the floor pattern, and the icons that you attendees search for in the AR virtual world -all further reinforcing this new technology and serving to educate the industry.

The results:

From the Show's opening to its final hour when foot traffic decreases, the adidas Golf booth is busy with people waiting in line for the AR game.

With a 4-5 min experience and 6-8 iPads going at once, the brand reaches over 2,200 people who learn about the new Code Chaos shoe. Countless other on-lookers watch, learn about the product through videos, and discuss with adidas employees at the display unit.

494 Code Chaos winners receive a new pair of these spikeless shoes! Influential online golf publication, MyGolfSpy, rates the exhibit as “#1 Best Booth” at the PGA Show and “#1 Product at the Show (Code Chaos).

• Launches adidas Golf’s Code Chaos footwear line to the golf industry in a unique, engaging way.
• Seed 500 pairs of shoes to attendees through an engaging and chaotic AR experience.
• Educates the audience on key attributes of Code Chaos in an immersive way while creating buzz around the Best Spikeless Golf Shoe in the industry.
• Rated “#1 Best Booth” at the PGA Show and “#1 Product at the Show“ (Code Chaos) by MyGolfSpy.