adidas Skips the Launch Party and Just Gives Pharrell's Next Sneaker Away
No retail date, no raffle. Just a truck, a crew, and a line of fans hoping for a free pair of the unreleased Jellyfish "Storm."
adidas has not even confirmed a release date for Pharrell Williams's new Jellyfish "Storm" colorway, and it already gave a batch of pairs away for free. On October 3, the brand's "Imported From Virginia" promotional truck pulled up to 622 Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles for a first-come, first-served giveaway, with Atlanta sneaker crew Øway handing pairs directly out of the truck to whoever showed up.
It is a familiar move from the Pharrell-adidas partnership, which has built hype through scarcity and street-level theater as much as through traditional drops. Official retail details for the Jellyfish "Storm" are still unannounced, which means Saturday's giveaway amounted to free marketing disguised as free shoes, the rare activation where the product sample and the ad campaign are the same object.
For a brand trying to keep pace with Nike and On in the influencer-sneaker arms race, handing out unreleased product before a single press photo exists is a low-cost way to manufacture scarcity chatter, and it costs adidas a lot less than a Super Bowl spot.
Source: Sneaker News
Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →
