JEDDAH, 6 April 2007 — Adidas has announced its latest sports initiative, the ‘Predator vs F50’ football campaign for 2007 for Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC. “With the competitive spirit of football in mind, the campaign has been created to allow aspiring footballers and their heroes to battle it out in a final play-off in Spain this summer, between June 6 and 9 to determine the world’s leading football club,” adidas spokesman told the media yesterday.
The campaign tells the real-life story of two different clubs and their individual football boots, the Predator FC wear the Predator shoes and the F50 Club de Futbol wear the +F50 TUNIT shoes. The Predator Club embodies teamwork, determination and precision, while the F50 team favors flair, flamboyance and speed. These distinct personalities are encapsulated in the Predator motto, ‘Every hero needs a team’ and the F50 club motto, ‘Every team needs a hero.’
Consumers between the ages of 15-17 identify themselves with either the Predator FC or F50 Club de Futbol teams when they purchase any Predator or F50 product from select adidas retailers in the region. Consumers will then be asked to sign a contract to seal their commitment to their club, which would also enter them into a draw that will see one Predator and one F50 winner travel to the adidas global Predator vs F50 finale in Spain.
So as not to exclude any customers, adidas also extends the competition to those outside the age bracket, and will give away prize vouchers to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Predator and F50 winners.
adidas has also implemented another more interactive route to the finale via their regionally adapted football website www.areyoupredatororf50.ae. Once logged on, customers can upload images that fit the criteria of either the Predator or F50 teams. One Predator and one F50 winner, as voted by site visitors for the most creative and inspirational entry will also get the chance to travel to Spain.
The finale will offer the winners a professional football experience, a platform to play with the world’s best footballers and also prepare for the big play-off. The program will give the winners the opportunity to compete for a spot in the finale to play with leading adidas players at their side, gain the skills they need through a coaching session and run through the final practices and press conferences just as the professionals do.
The Predator FC team features global heroes including David Beckham, Michael Ballack, Kaka and Juan Roman Riquelme among others, while the F50 Club de Futbol has stars such as Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben, Lukas Podolski and Fred on its roster. Both clubs have very distinct personalities, crests and club colors — red for Predator and green for F50 — that personify the characteristics of the two football boots competing against each other to determine the world’s leading football club.
“The Predator vs. F50 campaign gives players the dream opportunity to connect with their football heroes and battle it out against each other to see once and for all, which team rules,” said Eduard Massier, business development and marketing director, adidas Emerging Markets. “As a sports brand, we are pleased to inspire consumers to compete against each other in a real life scenario with heroes they aspire to be.”
