Case Study: Adidas Telstar – rebel
A match ball with a signal from space.
A match ball with a signal from space.
When Adidas launched the official match ball of the World Cup—Telstar 18—the inspiration wasn’t just sport. It was orbit. The design, influenced by the original Telstar satellite and revived for a Russian-hosted tournament, combined retro-futurism with innovation: pixelated panels, a monochrome palette, and subtle nods to signal, transmission, and time.
Our campaign brought that story to life.
Delivered under extreme time pressure, the entire spot was executed using green screen, motion graphics, and precision macro cinematography. We shot the Telstar in a purpose-built studio setup, using atmospheric elements like mist, water droplets, and spotlighting to reveal the ball’s texture and detailing—transforming it from product to icon.
The visual language was minimal but deliberate. Slow pans. Sharp cuts. Practical effects layered with analog TV-style interference, glitch motifs, and scan lines—designed to echo satellite transmission and Cold War-era tech, alluding to Sputnik and the origins of global broadcast.
At the centre: the ball itself, hovering against black. Crisp. Tactile. Mythic.
Voiceover carried the emotional tone—measured, motivating, global. A reminder that this wasn’t just a product launch—it was a signal that the world’s greatest sporting event was imminent. The copy was deliberately sparse, letting sound design and visual rhythm do the emotional work.
From a behavioural perspective, the campaign used symbolic elevation and aesthetic fluency to shift perception: this wasn’t just a ball—it was an object of desire, of design, of destiny. For fans, it became a collectible. For players, a totem.
Results:
1.9M campaign views across digital and in-store channels within 10 days
Ball became fastest-selling World Cup edition at rebel to date
Product featured in 100+ pieces of earned media coverage linked to campaign
Notable lift in in-store engagement with display merchandising tied to Telstar
Delivered in under 14 days from brief to broadcast
Why it worked:
Because it didn’t just launch a product. It decoded the signal. Telstar 18 became more than the official ball—it became the visual cue that the World Cup had begun.