This Week’s Best in Sports Advertising

This week in sports advertising, Buffalo Wild Wings introduces the Jewel Stool, class is in session at New Balance, and Adidas and FC Barcelona inspire equality.

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1. Adidas — She Breaks Barriers

Athlete / Influencer: Maria Taylor, Kendra Harrison, Becky Sauerbrunn, Rahaf Khatib and Layshia Clarendon

Women only receive 4% of sports media coverage, and Adidas is determined to change that. For their second “She Breaks Barriers” campaign, Adidas is helping inspire the next generation of female athletes by reminding them that they’ve earned equal respect and recognition.

“More Visibility. Bigger Dreams.” features five inspiring females across the sports landscape, and powerfully calls on media to do their part. The stakes are high and their message is clear: “If girls don’t see women in sport, they won’t stay in sport.”

2. FC Barcelona — We Are Footballers

Athlete / Influencer: Lieke Martens, Vicky Losada, Marta Torrejon, Leila Ouahabi and Sandra Paños

To celebrate International Women’s Day, FC Barcelona—arguably one of the most influential sports organizations in the world—created a powerful spot demonstrating their continued support of gender equality in sport.

As the first club in Spain to go professional in 2015, and the first women’s team to reach one million followers on Instagram, Barcelona has long been a trailblazer of the beautiful game. The “We Are Footballers” campaign exemplifies practicing what you preach because lip service only gets you so far.

3. ESPN & ACC — We Do This

Agency: Preacher

With ACC Network’s impending August 22nd debut and March Madness afoot, ESPN rolled out its “We Do This” campaign. Featuring a 60-second spot and three 30-second accompanying spots, the campaign celebrates the fan bases and traditions of the ACC’s 15 member schools.

Each spot weighs heavily on football fandom, which is notable considering the conference’s basketball pedigree. While the beginning of March Madness might seem like an odd time to roll out the campaign, the network’s August launch aligns perfectly with the start of the 2019 college football season—hence the emphasis on the gridiron.

4. New Balance — Run University

Athlete / Influencer: Gabby Thomas, Rob Pannell, Darius Bazley, Emma Coburn and Harry Aikines

New Balance took consumers back to school with “Run University,” their latest campaign debuting the newest line of Fresh Foam sneakers.

In this comedic spot, “Art Class,” five members of New Balance’s “Class of 2019” (including current ‘intern’ Darius Bazley and Olympic medalist Emma Coburn) attempt to draw an unclothed model. After viewers are left to their imagination the camera finally reveals what the athletes are trying to recreate—the pair of New Balance sneakers on the model’s feet.

5. Buffalo Wild Wings — Jewel Stool

Agency: The Martin Agency

Athlete / Influencer: Bob Menery

It’s March, which means two things: basketball and vasectomies? That’s right, it’s that time of the year when men across the nation look for any excuse to avoid work and watch basketball—which is exactly why Buffalo Wild Wings created the “Jewel Stool.”

The restaurant chain is encouraging men who are fresh off their surgery to enjoy March Madness with cold beer and a stool to cool their tenders jewels. The spot is part of Buffalo Wild Wings’ greater March Madness campaign, created with help from The Martin Agency.

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