Commercial Analysis 3: "Your Future Is Not Mine" Adidas Originals

Nothing makes me happier than seeing one of my favorite commercials of all time win big in Cannes. I first saw this commercial this spring, and instead of skipping through it, watched the entire 30 second YouTube Version and then, hungry for more, went and found the extended version and watched it several times in a row. Its strange and dystopian and the intention or story seems to be vague and completely open to viewer interpretation, much like a work of art. It is fitting that it won in film craft for original song because the music fits so perfectly with the film. Everyone in the video is wearing Adidas gear, and most of it has little to do with sports. This is very different than say the Under Armour Campaigns that also won tonight. Adidas has done an amazing job rebranding themselves in the past year or so. It's not hard to tell, look around you and you'll see it everywhere. They're apparel has become trendy and stylish and a fashion statement. Not just a company who makes soccer cleats anymore. I believe the use of this ad in conjunction with other promotional tactics such as the ties to Yeezy has redefined Adidas as a fashion brand for cool, different, original people, hence the name of the ad. They are trying to appeal to a different demographic than just athletes, but now including artists and musicians and creative minded people who value self expression. Technically speaking, I actually feel like the slightly shorter version has a better pulse, rhythm and flow with the music than the longer one, but you lose some of the amazing imagery when you cut the time in half so all in all I feel the longer with is the more complete work and was therefore the film used to analysis by the jury. It is always impressive to me when a brand can release two different length versions of the same commercial for different contexts and they still convey the same message and don't really sacrifice machine the way of content. This shows that the overall theme and overarching story line are very sound. This commercial is one of the more artistic ones I've seen in a long time which is probably why it appeals so much to me.