Adidas Gets Creepy in Amsterdam with New Campaign
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Pranks can be endearing, funny, and sometimes just plain creepy. Ad Agency Iris Amsterdam got their prank on with a new creative–and totally invasive–campaign for Adidas. The campaign is for the Dutch Football club AFC Ajax and their brand new jersey for the 2012/2013 season. The campaign focused on building fake dressing rooms with two-way mirrors and hidden cameras… already I am just shaking my head NO. The fitting rooms were in an Ajax Sports Shop in Amsterdam, ya know, because they wanted to lure true fans to the club. While customers are changing into the new Ajax jersey and checking themselves out, actual players from the football club watch them from the other side of the two-way mirror. Again, shaking my head NO. Once the jersey is on, mirrored wall slides away, revealing the voyeurs to the “lucky” customer. But it’s like TOTALLY okay because then the customers get to party with the players!! Woo woo!! This is not terrifying or alienating in the least!! GO FOOTBALL!!
I am teetering on deeming this WTF-worthy, to be honest. First of all, I have a terrible fear of changing rooms in general. I worked in retail long enough during college to know that YES there are tricks to checking on your customers**, and the idea of two-way mirrors doesn’t really seem that far off. So to say that this campaign just totally rubbed me the wrong way would be a vast understatement.
Sure, it’s all in “good fun,” but I doubt an ad campaign like this would ever fly in the States. Sh*t, we get litigious over the tiniest things; could you imagine how quickly this would get smacked down by a lawsuit in a state like New York? No thanks. If I realized that I just changed in front of a bunch of sports stars I idolized, I’d probably projectile vomit on everybody–nervous reaction. They’d deserve it.
**Pro Lifehacker Tip: If you find yourself in a changing room with shiny black floors, the people running the changing rooms can, in fact, watch you change. It’s not because they are perverts; it’s to see if you’re doing anything lewd and/or stealing. Chances are if you’re stealing, you’re going to be caught anyways (or leave the store with a stylish, totally NOT tacky ripped shirt… classy), but if you don’t feel like being watched while stripping… lay an article of clothing down on the floor before you change to cover up the shiny surface. You’re welcome.
