October 29, 2026 · Culture moments · 3 min read
One day, one kit.
One day, one kit: how we covered the adidas WC26 away kit launch
adidas set the date. We told the launch as one day in Los Angeles, from the afternoon to launch night: 365 campaign images and a film in hand the next day.
adidas set the date: 19 March 2026, the reveal of its World Cup 26 away kit in Los Angeles. A kit launch has one day to land, and everyone sees the kit at the same moment. Nothing about that day could move. Our job was to make one day carry a whole campaign.
Start with the fixed date
Most launch plans run forward, from the idea to the event. We plan a launch backward from the one moment that is fixed. The reveal sets everything else: when the stills have to be ready, when the film has to land, and what the feed needs while the night is still happening.
That gave us one question for every shot on the list. Does it help tell this day? If it did not, it came off the list. A tight list is what lets one team cover a launch without missing the moment that matters.
A night in LA
A kit is not a product on a table. It is something people wear on a night out. So we told the day as one story. In the afternoon we shot the kit being stitched, close and quiet. At night we moved to the Lower Grand tunnels, where Los Angeles wore it.
The two settings do different jobs. The afternoon shows the making and gives the product its detail. The night gives it a city and a crowd. Together they make one library that works on a product page, on a billboard and on a phone.
One team, three jobs
Live coverage, a launch film and campaign photography often come from three vendors on three schedules. We ran them as one team on one plan. The stills and the film share the same light, the same places and the same story, so nothing looks borrowed from another shoot.
- Launch night coverage, captured while it happened
- Campaign photography across both settings, afternoon and night
- The launch film: a 30 second recap, in hand the day after the reveal
What it delivered
The recap film was in hand on 20 March, the day after the reveal, while the launch was still the story. On @adidasoriginals, the work drew 1,000,000 views.
We have made work with adidas for more than ten years, renewed every year. This is how adidas describes the partnership:
“A fantastic creative partner on all of our projects.”
For your next launch
- Plan backward from the moment that cannot move.
- Give the product a place that says something about it.
- Shoot the making and the moment. Each one needs the other.
- Put live, film and photo on one plan, so every asset matches.
- Have the recap ready while people are still talking about the launch.
Have a launch date on the calendar? Book a call and tell us the moment. We will show you how we would cover it, from the first frame to the recap.
