Adidas have today announced that the chosen method for promoting their new range of Star Wars footwear will be to send sneak preview photographs to certain industry bloggers.  My immediate reaction was an intense interest in how Adidas have managed to create trainers which have any relevance to Luke Skywalker or Yoda. Once satisfied (they have a Darth Vadar hoodie as well – unfortunately without ‘I am your Father’ emblazoned over the front) I got to thinking about these new methods of marketing. Adidas is merely confirming what we have long known here at Glide – the growth of the internet as a marketing tool has grown beyond all expectation, vying with, and now overtaking, the more traditional methods.

It therefore seems inevitable that companies such as Adidas are going to make every effort to embrace this new marketing medium; the internet allows a company’s product reach to become global. The impact of viral advertising is also huge – a hot topic in the office yesterday when Kate circulated an email listing the top viral adverts of the noughties.

Bloggers have tremendous impact. We held a recent event which marked the pre-release of some journalist research we’ve conducted.  Significantly this contained the opinion of bloggers as well as traditional freelance and in-house journalists.

A webinar we’re holding in early 2010 to release the full report will feature a well-known blogger from the US as speaker. It’s nice to know that the Adidas communications team are on the same wavelength as us.

May the force be with you.

Flora