The Brief

Cricket is a religion in India and Sachin Tendulkar, also adidas Ambassador, its god. When Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from international cricket, adidas designed a special edition bat for him to play his last match. Also, his 200th test. While at it, they made 200 replicas of the bat to give his most deserving fans. From a country with over a billion Sachin fans, we were given the task of selecting only 200 of his most ardent fans .

Creative Execution

The adidas Sachin Crossword worked because it was an entirely inclusive challenge that didn’t involve any physical/sporting prowess. Which meant, the challenge was open to all, irrespective of age, class, gender. The simplicity of the device appealed to the entire cross section of Sachin’s fans – a diverse group constituting over a billion people. Only those who knew Sachin the best were deemed deserving enough to own the bat. adidas as a brand was able to engage with thousands of people harnessing the sentimental value associated with their ambassador’s retirement from international cricket.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We drew inspiration from the average Indian’s habit of solving the daily newspaper crossword. And then came up with an incredibly exhaustive 100-word crossword on Sachin, with questions covering every aspect of the legend’s life. From his favourite style icon, automobile brand and food to his favourite sports star. Only his most loyal fans could possibly crack it. The crossword was executed in the country’s leading dailies. People simply had to fill it up and bring it back to their nearest adidas store. The first 200 people to do so won the coveted bat.

Results

The activity garnered a lot of curiosity and excitement. Because everyone in India professes to be Tendulkar’s most loyal fan and this was an opportunity for them to see how much of that was true. Over 50,000 people took part in the challenge. Only 2365 managed to crack it. Of them, the first 200 fans to submit their entries won the prized tri colour adidas bat. A memory they’d cherish forever. To the rest, it was a walk down memory lane.