adidas makes a splash with 3D interactive billboard to help end plastic waste

Adidas has rolled out a 3D interactive billboard located in Downtown Dubai as part of its "Run for The Oceans" global movement to encourage people to band together and help end plastic waste through sports.

Specially designed to show a hyper-realistic ocean wave splashing onto a glass barrier and filled with hundreds of plastic bottles signifying ocean waste, the billboard shows Dubai residents their collaborative impact in real-time. By downloading the adidas Runtastic app and clocking in minutes from select activities such as running, tennis and football, participants can then actively see and track the actions they took to make a positive impact on the 3D billboard.

A live counter on the billboard shows the minutes tracked on the adidas Runtastic app, leading to plastic bottles disappearing from the wave. As such, the more people run, the cleaner the wave will become. Additionally, since adidas' long-standing partner Parley will clean up the equivalent weight of one plastic bottle from the oceans for every 10-minute run that residents participated in, this also leads to the removal of plastic from oceans in the real world. 

According to adidas, the launch of the billboard illustrates its global ambition to mobilise a generation to help end plastic waste, and it seeks to amplify its ongoing sustainability efforts with this billboard initiative. In addition, with these new interactive activities to the challenge, the fifth edition of "Run for the Oceans" is touted to be the most inclusive one yet. 

The brand also explained that over the years, "Run for The Oceans" has seen various running communities come together to raise awareness about the plastic problem, educating others about the state of beaches and inspiring action to help end plastic waste.

In addition, the premise of the campaign was illustrated by creative agency Bureau Beatrice, in partnership with communications agency Havas Middle East. 

Meanwhile, on the advertising front, adidas launched its latest chapter of the "Impossible is Nothing" campaign in February this year, which highlighted a global collective of inspiring women who are breaking down barriers in sport and beyond. According to the brand, it said then that it was accelerating its mission to create real, lasting change for women in sport. The campaign was launched globally with a film series featuring a diverse portfolio of women from sport, fitness and lifestyle, such as basketball player Asma Elbadawai, volleyball player Tifanny Abreu, and Squid Game's HoYeon Jung.

According do adidas' head of global marketing, Vicky Free, previously, this was the brand's call to action to all the women out there to keep making the impossible possible everyday. "Adidas can only continue to be their ally, committed to serving them through innovation in our products, partnerships and across all dimensions of sport," she explained previously. 

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