In many of its more recent collaborations (e.g., its controversial partnership with Kanye “Ye” West on the Yeezy line), adidas has sought to balance two specific and somewhat competing aims: exclusivity, as exhibited by the limited release and high price points of certain collectible products, and broad commercial appeal, by embracing social media influencers and street style. Notably, a more recent collaboration, this time with a rare Italian luxury brand, seems to represent the sportswear firm’s efforts to take this dual strategy even further, enabled and facilitated by not just AI-powered marketing insights but also AI-created designs.

Moncler, the Italian luxury brand, and adidas might seem to target different consumer markets, but their combined campaigns (thus far) demonstrate effectively how they might come together. The multimedia presentations integrate cutting-edge art, music, and fashion. For example, their “Art of Genius” exhibition featured contributions from the musician Pharrell Williams, the record label Roc Nation, the designer Salehe Bembury, and Mercedes-Benz. The link joining these disparate “brands” was their exceptional artistry, and the campaign sought to promote the general idea that genius in one domain can be complimented by genius in another.

In their second collaboration, adidas and Moncler instead are focused on the “Art of Explorers,” prioritizing the notion that, just like the artists being featured, the brands embrace exploratory visions and technologies. The included artists, who work in both traditional and cutting-edge disciplines, have created various versions of sculpture, representing different explorers and adventurers. Some of them are AI-generated avatars; others assign technology-derived hair and makeup looks for human models. Then the generated models, artworks, and sculptures get combined in live-action video and 3D animation, with the set design, lighting, and sound created by collaborations between human and digital sources, leading to purposeful confusion about the line between generated and real images. 

To promote these creations, adidas and Moncler also designed an immersive platform that consumers can access to review the collection, with items available for purchase through digital billboards. In addition to the fashion creations—which are priced out of reach of most people—a limited number of Moncler ´ adidas Originals NFTs (non-fungible tokens) enable fans to own a small piece of the multimedia experience. Thus, by expanding access through relatively inexpensive NFTs, the partners give consumers opportunities to engage with their brands but also unprecedented opportunities to own designs created by cutting-edge artists like Gary Card, Ibby Njoya, and Kate Tabor.

With this ambiguous, technology-infused, integrated concept, adidas and Moncler thus thread the proverbial needle between different popular cultural touchstones, with varying degrees of accessibility. Pharrell Williams and Roc Nation are staples in mainstream pop culture; Mercedes-Benz offers a more elevated, refined brand identity. Meanwhile, the inclusion of Salehe Bembury, an up-and-coming designer who is known in celebrity circles but still outside mainstream consciousness, suggests the long-standing brands’ continued determination to appeal to and recruit the next generation of exceptional talent.

Discussion Questions

1. Is adidas’s core brand identity more mainstream or exclusive? Justify your answer.
2. Can such integrated campaigns generate sustained interest? Or do these strategies seem overly trendy, running the risk that younger audiences may become disenchanted?

Sources: “Moncler and Adidas Unveil AI-Infused Campaign,” Apparel Resources, October 3, 2023; Stephanie Hirschmiller, “Adidas and Moncler Collab Features AI ‘Adventurers’ and NFTs,” Decrypt, October 2, 2023; Luisa Zargani, “Moncler Group 2023 Revenues Graze 3B Euros,” Women’s Wear Daily, February 24, 2024; Pamela Danzinger, “Luxury Brands Are Overstocked, Leading to Discounts that Threaten their Reputations,” Forbes, December 17, 2023