Earlier in 2021, Adidas comissioned a YouGov survey in the United Arab Emirates, which found that only 12 per cent of women are entirely at ease wearing a swimsuit at a public beach or pool. In June, the German sportswear behemoth launched its first full-cover swimwear collection for women, an 18-piece offering of technical, modest pieces, which includes long-sleeve tops, lightweight hijab and trousers, accented with Adidas' signature triple-stripe motif.
In celebration of Adidas' inclusive milestone, which reinforces its commitment to making sport as diverse a playing field as possible, the brand pitched up on a popular Dubai beach, erecting the first interative liquid billboard in the sand, where female beachgoers could make a splash, and not only take in, but become part of its ‘Beyond the Surface' campaign.
Dive into the deep blue depths of Adidas’ liquid billboard
Adidas’ immersive billboard, 5m high and 3m in depth, and formed from reinforced transparent acrylic, took three weeks to erect. The water-filled wonder invited the women of Dubai to take a public leap of faith into the pool, where they could dive into its blue depths. Those who made a splash included Adidas ambassador and amputee triathlete Dareen Barbar, who is also a Guinness World Record holder (for the longest static wall sit), plus Adidas ambassador Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi Arabian female to climb Mount Everest.
In an amplification of the event, footage surrounding the digital screen was projected onto a digital screen above the Dubai Mall Ice Rink, allowing shoppers and residents to take in the liberating dives and jumps.
‘Our belief is that nobody should be prevented from enjoying the benefits of being in and around the water, hence the recent launch of our diversified product offering for all women,' says Amrith Gopinath, senior brand director of Adidas GCC, of the brand's inclusive swimwear launch and subsequent immersive activation. Adidas' liquid billboard represents a symbolic swim in the right direction.
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