NEO Gymnastics x Just Dance

Objective

Adidas Neo sought to rebuild brand affinity among Gen Z students in China amid declining market share caused by geopolitical boycotts and competitive pressure from domestic brands. The campaign modernized China's traditional 71-year school gymnastics routine—a daily experience for all students—by gamifying it through a popular video game platform, aiming to drive in-store traffic and sales during the back-to-school season.

Solution

The campaign created a dance challenge on Douyin (Chinese TikTok) using Just Dance as the core game platform. Adidas Neo designed custom dance choreography and characters specifically for the game, allowing students to participate in the viral challenge during back-to-school season. The gamified dance experience transformed the traditional school gymnastics routine into a contemporary social engagement opportunity, leveraging Douyin's massive youth audience and dance-challenge culture.

Results

The campaign went viral, achieving an 8% increase in in-store traffic and 11% sales growth. It won a Bronze Award at the Clio Awards 2023 in the Branded Entertainment & Content category for Games.