The Liquid Billboard

On their mission to strive for inclusivity and closing the gender gap in sports, adidas created a new line of modest swimwear.

However, while globally, 32% of women don’t feel comfortable wearing a swimsuit at a public beach or pool, in MENA the number is 88%. So, the availability of inclusive swimwear alone wouldn’t solve the problem. 

We decided to turn water into a symbol of freedom. 

We transformed a passive medium into an interactive experience and created the world’s first swimmable billboard. 5-meters high and 3-meters deep, it was actually a swimming pool that was placed at one of the most visited beaches of the region. We invited the women of UAE to take a public leap of faith into its depth and dive beyond the surface.

Every swim was projected live on the country’s largest digital display above the Dubai Mall Ice Rink, next to the adidas flagship store.   We also turned every swim into personalized posters that were used on our social media pages, website, and app, making every woman the face of the new inclusive swimwear collection.  

Local and international PR coverage spread the news across the globe, starting a global conversation. 

The results were incredible and exceeded the initial objectives: •70% sell-through of the new line in 4 weeks. •E-commerce: 51,751 visits on inclusive swimwear portal in 4 weeks. •Share of search: 28%. •Total reach: +300M. •Total number of mentions: +10K. •+50 countries across 6 continents •$1.5 million earned media. •Engagement: 18%. •Positive Sentiment: 97%.