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Since 2009 Adidas has released limited edition Star Wars themed shoes and apparel in a wildly successful cross-branding campaign that has utilized social media technology and viral videos featuring prominent Adidas athletes and famous musicians including David Beckham, Daft Punk, and Snoop Dogg. So far, this limited collection has been a top seller, appealing to a wide variety of different markets and demographics. With creative designs, including Boba Fett track jackets, Chewbacca fur-lined parkas, and Stormtrooper high tops, Adidas has created apparel that appeals to both Star Wars fans and serious shoe collectors.

One of the most creative and appealing parts of the Star Wars campaign has been their unique product packaging. By recognizing the growing market of consumers who buys shoes strictly as a collectors item that will never be worn, they have created packaging that is consistent with the cross-branding theme alluding to Star Wars action figure collectors while providing the protection of sealed packaging for the limited edition shoes. They have also released special packaging specifically for their limited Han Solo SL72 shoes. Alluding to the end of The Empire Strikes Back when Darth Vader preserves Han Solo by freezing him in carbonite, the shoes come in their own shiny carbonite packaging as if they, too, were frozen.

This unique choice of packaging takes appealing elements from their biggest target markets and combines them staying consistent to the brand. With their innovative advertising and creative designs, Adidas has created a truly unique collection that is out of this world.

Last week Nike launched its FIFA World Cup “Write The Future” campaign with an epic three minute ad featuring star international players including Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The concept behind the ad is that there are certain amazing moments in during the game that can change the player’s lives and write their place in history flashing forward to the potential future based on the outcome of the moment. The commercial was directed by Mexican film director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who previously directed and produced Babel and 21 Grams. To premiere the video Nike released a ten-minute short film to introduce the video and talk about the concept and production. Interestingly, the video is only viewable if visitors click the “Like” button making visitors become fans before they can view the video. This could become a new trend for brands making their content accessible only to registered fans.

Nike is now getting aggressive with their soccer marketing efforts competing directly with Adidas who launched their “Every team needs” world cup campaign months ago to start building hype for the event and their products.