“It’s blue, what else matters?” That is the premise behind the teaser launch of the new football kit to be worn by Chelsea in the 2013/14 season of the Barclays Premier League.Adidas is the brand behind the kit and the video trailers based on the theme and angled toward generating pre-orders before the kit has even been seen have been viewed collectively by over one million fans. The campaign only launched at Stamford Bridge this weekend and the kit itself will not be revealed until April 18th.
You can see the main ad and a video behind the scenes making it at the bottom of this article and it shows the imagination that has to go into making something as mundane and probably resented by fans, into a brand marketing masterclass.
Chelsea’s kit will be blue, like it always is. Normally, kit designers will roll out commentary about the technical advances behind the material or the intricate design detail and its meaning.
Ultimately though, and this is what Adidas has captured here, the kit is there as a badge of honour and identity for the fans wearing it.
This applies whether it is the Irish national soccer team, Munster Rugby or Dublin GAA, all of whom either have or will be unveiling new kits in the next year.
Chelsea’s club song is ‘Blue is the colour’ and the campaign plays on that to great effect. The club itself has had a disappointing season and the launch of a new kit might have been another trigger for fan dissent but instead this has invigorated the club fan base and subtly pointed out that while results may go up and down that being part of the club is a long term investment of passion.
The best trick of any marketing campaign is to make the ordinary extraordinary. This campaign is the best I have seen in a while at doing just that.
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