Adidas Stands Out at Lollapalooza with Giant Shoebox

At this summer’s Lollapalooza music festival, long-time sponsor adidas boosted its visibility by propping a 16-foot by 30-foot branded shoebox constructed out of shipping containers next to the stage it sponsored. The activation was live in Chicago’s Grant Park from Aug. 6 to 8, and is part of an integrated campaign for the launch of its new product MEGA, a shoe that combines some of the best features from the brand’s past shoes and “supersizes” them into one product.

“Our idea was to do something intriguing to get in front of the consumer,” Jess Weinstein, global creative director for Original Brand Marketing at adidas, told Buzz. “Nowadays, you have to do something bigger, stronger, more authentic and cool. This year the shoebox really seemed to work.”

Inside, the brand custom-designed the shoebox to resemble an authentic diner with special touches, like rotating cake racks packed with MEGA shoes. The design ties into the brand’s TV ads that feature a man going into a diner and ordering something over the top, but what he ends up with are MEGA shoes. In one scene, Altanta hip-hop artist B.o.B steps into a freezer and pulls out a pair of shoes instead of food.

Brand ambassadors were on-hand to answer product questions as well as encourage consumers to partake in a fun photo op, which brought to life the freezer experience. Consumers sat in front of a backdrop with a freezer and shoe display and then they were blasted with cold air as a staffer snapped a shot. They received a branded printout of the photo and were directed to the adidas website to download it and share it with friends online. Some photos were selected for the MEGA diner’s employee of the month wall. Consumers also walked away with an exclusive MEGA branded bandana. Agency: Action Marketing Group, Boulder, CO.