adidas GMR translates real-life football skills into gaming

Gone are the days of gaming in front of a TV, as adidas GMR is here to blend real-life and in-game football.

Pronounced ‘Gamer’, the new wearable technology allows real-life personal football data to be integrated into EA Sports FIFA Mobile, a game played by 300 million people worldwide. The GMR technology works through a chip inserted into an adidas shoe insole. Using Google Jacquard technology it is able to measure attributes like speed, distance, shot power and passing – all of which are converted into the game. You can purchase the smart tag and put it in any boot; it then connects your IRL football effort to the game, so when you improve, so does your Fifa Mobile team.

The innovative new development has been promoted through a guerrilla marketing campaign that hid the GMR chip in adidas football boots across the world in the lead up to its release.

This was accompanied by a launch film, featuring Juventus player Paulo Dybala, that features two people completing physical tasks to compete in the virtual world. The film is set across multiple locations, and shows the players communicating across the platform, ultimately reflecting the “Play connected” slogan.

Alongside the launch strategy, adam&eveDDB worked with adidas to create a number of other elements for the product, including packaging, in-game functions, visuals and branding.

Mat Goff, joint CEO at adam&eveDDB said: “This has been an incredible collaboration to be part of, working with some of the best loved brands in the world to create a wearable tech product with proper impact – making in-game currency from your real-world skills and movement is wearable tech at its best.”