If Adidas is promoting Manchester United, perhaps it doesn’t want to also advertise one of its biggest rivals.
Earlier this year, Adidas won the rights away from Nike to sell branded Man U gear in a massive $1.3 billion deal for 10 years. The rollout has finally started in its online store, beginning with these throwback track jackets and pants.
There’s just one problem.
An eagle-eyed Twitter user noticed something unusual about the pants:
Mess up by Adidas! Retro United tracksuit. No problem about that but shame the guy is wearing retro Chelsea pants! pic.twitter.com/9P5OHSVPEK
— Andrew Yee (@andrewyee) October 12, 2015
The pants are stitched with a Chelsea Football Club logo, an arch competitor of Man U. The “cock-up” is somewhat understandable since Adidas is also Chelsea’s official sponsor, but it’s unlikely a fan of either of those teams will mix and match an outfit like this.
Needless to say, die-hard soccer fans weren’t pleased:
Man U jacket with Chelsea track pants. Fire the stylist. @adidasoriginals pic.twitter.com/K1C6T70i3S
— ebun. (@mrLBF) October 13, 2015
@ManUtd there is something wrong with this marketing https://t.co/WQIaz187Oe #checkthetrousers #mufc #notCFC
— Ken Huang (@kenhuang7) October 8, 2015
Adidas pulled the listing offline and it with the same model wearing matching Man U pants.
More in Marketing
Meta’s Threads expected to have ads this year
The move would make Threads Meta’s latest bit of ad real estate venue just over a year after its launch.
Mobile esports reaches new heights in 2024 with a boost from Saudi Arabian investment
Mobile esports activity has been picking up gradually since 2021, but 2024 could be one of the most lucrative years yet for the esports teams and players participating in popular mobile games such as “PUBG Mobile” and “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang” (MLBB).
Q1 ad rundown: there’s cautious optimism amid impending changes
The outlook for the rest of the year is a tale of two realities.