This case study looks at the success Adidas had at the 2014 FIFA World Cup by teaming up with YouTube creators KICKTV to publish up-to-date content for their YouTube channel. By teaming up with KICKTV, Adidas were able to gain expertise into the art of creating content for YouTube.
Case study summary
• Adidas teamed up with YouTube creators KICKTV to create real time content on the 2014 World Cup for their YouTube channel
• The collaboration was a huge success as the number of subscribers to Adidas’ YouTube channel tripled and the channel drove 15 million visits to the brand website
• During the World Cup viewers watched a combined 25,000 hours of episodes of The Dugout on Adidas’s YouTube channel.
The challenge
Advertising at the World Cup used to be about one major TV advert, one opportunity to connect with your audience. Since the digital revolution, toady’s audience expect to watch and share content of big events around the clock. The challenge for marketers is to create great content that engages with their audience and cuts through the clutter before, during and after major events. During the 2014 FIFA World Cup Adidas collaborated with YouTube channel KICKTV to create live content around the year’s biggest sporting event.
The solution
For the 2014 World Cup Adidas collaborated with KICKTV to create a live streaming series called “The Dugout” which featured everything football from famous footballer Q&A’s, to post match recaps.
By collaborating with YouTube creators KICKTV (one of the most popular football channels on YouTube), Adidas were able to gain expertise on the content that resonates to the YouTube audience. KICKTV provided information on tone of voice, topics their audience want to discuss and what moments to cover. As well as providing expertise, KICKTV also bought millions of engaged YouTube fans to the Adidas YouTube channel. KICKTV’s knowledge of YouTube, football, target audience and real time video production made them the ideal partner for Adidas.
The results
The six episodes of “The Dugout” published on YouTube led Adidas to become the fastest growing sports brand on YouTube. The Adidas YouTube channel drove more than 15 million visits to the brand’s website. The content Adidas created with KICKTV earned over 1.5 billion impressions on YouTube and the number of subscriptions to the Adidas YouTube channel tripled.
