Inkblot

Campaigns classes hope the shoe fits

By Allen Forkner
J Alumni News staff

Adidas is giving a few NU advertising campaigns classes the chance to Just Do It.

Oops, wrong shoe.

That sort of mistaken identity is one of the driving forces behind adidas’ partnership with the advertising department.

NU was the first of five universities with which adidas signed an athletic apparel contract, said Kelly Jo Hinrichs, lecturer in the advertising department. adidas wanted to expand its name recognition and brand identity, so it approached the school about a partnership.

“We want to bring experience to the classroom” not just sell shoes, said Andre Murphy, sports marketing manager for adidas, which also has contracts with Northwestern, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Arizona State and UCLA.

Part of the company’s plan was to offer advertising students hands-on experience working on a major firm’s advertising campaign. The students receive instruction from the pros and have the chance, if their campaign is selected, to design the next adidas advertising campaign.

“That’s really a great motivating factor,” said advertising student Tasha Kuxhausen. “To get your campaign selected? That’s really an accomplishment.”

The winning presentation will replace adidas’ current “Welcome to Nebraska” campaign featured in magazines, in newspapers and on billboards.

Adidas doesn’t even know the medium in which the ad will appear.

That’s up to the students, Murphy said. “They’ll tell us what the campaign will be. We can’t wait to see.”

In return, adidas gets advice about students’ likes and dislikes from experts on the matter: the students themselves. Hinrichs said the company hoped to gain name recognition.

“A great deal of market research has been done in this state,” Hinrichs said. “What adidas wanted was to strengthen the ties between NU and their brand.”

Murphy said much the same thing. “Some people aren’t aware that we’re involved with the school,” he said.

The optimum goal would be for Nebraska to be thought of as an adidas school, Murphy said.

Ideally, adidas wants its logo and the Husker N indelibly linked, Kuxhausen said. “It’s like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods are forever tied to Nike. adidas wants to expand that link with the Huskers,” Kuxhausen said.

That’s hard in the highly competitive world of athletic apparel, Kuxhausen said. Husker clothing is made by Nike, Champion and other companies in addition to adidas, she said. That works against the corporate bond.

Overcoming the competitions’ messages is the biggest obstacle, Kuxhausen said. But she was enthusiastic about the challenge.

“I’d love to create the next ‘Just Do It’ slogan,” she said.