Adidas: Impossible Is Nothing

On December 16th, just before the final matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, adidas unveiled its dynamic Beach Club Billboard in Doha, a bold statement that turned the world’s attention to women’s football. The activation was located between Doha's two airports on Doha Beach, within walking distance of Stadium 974. It was created to celebrate adidas' biggest football legends, featuring portraits of Pedri, Achraf Hakimi, and Lionel Messi - some of the most well-known names in football - which were carved on the sands of the beach.
Agency: FP7 McCann, Dubai / Jack Morton, Dubai

The portraits made headlines and caught the attention of World Cup attendees and the social community. At the end of the knockout stages, adidas removed the portraits and asked fans to guess who the next legends will be via social media. As expected, fans flooded the adidas MENA Instagram page with the names of other popular players – all of whom were men. On the day of reveal, people saw that the next legends were in fact Mary Fowler, Farah Jefry, and Catarina Macario. A twist that took fans by surprise, yet really shouldn’t have been such a shock. Based on a recent global survey, only 14% of gen z Men’s World Cup fans commit their support to the Women’s World Cup (GWI). The activation was part of adidas’ efforts to draw attention of the world to the importance of ensuring gender equity and creating fair access and opportunity for women in the sport, ahead of the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The unveiling during the final stages of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was intended to celebrate football female players, highlighting that there is the other half of the global football story, reframing the conversation around equality and how the world sees the sport. The idea for the activation was conceived by FP7 McCann Dubai in partnership with Jack Morton Dubai, who were tasked with creating the 121 x 95 feet murals – the size of a low-rise building – in 10 days. Artist Nathan Alapide was commissioned to bring the legends to life for viewers. A team of 20 people worked against unpredictable wind conditions while thousands of World Cup attendees were roaming the vicinity.