Today I would like to introduce you to a very clever marketing idea of pop-up design.

Adidas, a well-known multinational company, who supplies athletes all over the world with footwear and sports apparel, has come up with another brilliant yet simple and compelling marketing campaign – the Adidas pop-up stores.

The brand places temporary pop-up stores that look like giant Adidas shoeboxes at different places in certain cities. These stores are often placed in unpublicized locations and are only announced to fans via social networking sites. It’s Adidas’s way to launch collections in very special created spaces.

This is only one of the brand’s many brilliant marketing campaigns that have taken it to the powerful, well-loved brand it is today.

A few years ago Adidas marketed their new skateboarding collection in a similar unique way in Brazil. An old VW Kombi was customized with prints inspired by skating legend, Mark Gonzales. The van was loaded with a flat screen, a computer and the full skateboarding range, and driven along the streets of Brazil.  The unique design of the van made it a constant eye catcher on the streets, and kept everyone wondering and guessing at what Adidas might be hiding inside the van.

The giant shoeboxes are created in a way simpler way. They imitate the ‘regular’ branded Adidas shoebox that we all get when we buy some new Adidas running shoes. The store is super easy to set up - within a day - and stands out because of the remarkable blue, the simple shape and of course the branding.

I’m impressed by the simple, but outstanding design and the idea of product placement. I would actually like to discover a giant shoebox in a special place of my city one day. It must feel very impressive to stand inside it, check out the creative space, lighting and floor layout.

Hide and seek is on! Let me know if you have ever spotted one of those boxes or even a van in your city! If you have any pictures, send them on through or post them on our Facebook wall.

Miriam