AREA19 | ADIDAS

For the launch of the Copa19, the rebirth
of adidas footballs most iconic leather boot,
we created Area19. An event experience
at a secret location in the heart of Milan.

An exclusive event experience enabled
120 football journalists to experience
the key features of the boot within a series
of installations highlighting all the
different aspects of the boots design.

The experience featured a barefoot
experience in total darkness, feeling
the advanced cushioning technology
of the boot within a massive ball bath
as well as a reactive rain room
highlighting the water resistant
attributes of the boots materials.

Further we created the AI persona K:A:Y
(because of the k-leather you know 😉).
K:A:Y's voice guided the audience through
the underground research facility,
explaining each experience and providing
context to the boots design.

Several physicals installations have
been created to explain the origin
of the fingerprint like design of the boot.
The experience climaxed when Paulo Dybala
himself revealed the boot.

EXPERIENCE

CONCEPT

INSIGHT
Lesser players play the game.
COPA players feel it.So we’ll launch the new boot in a way
that feels unique to the COPA franchise - by owning touch,
and focusing on how the boot feels.

IDEA
A cutting-edge sensory experience where people don’t just
learn about the innovations of the boot - they feel it.

The strength of Copa has always been in the feel of the boot,
so we’re going to double down on this with a launch experience
that forces attendees to focus on what makes the Copa special.

The experience would start with a guided navigation through
multiple rooms, each one focussing on a different new feature
of the boot. The catch? The bulk of the experience will be in
relative darkness. Attendees would feel their way through each
room learning about what they were touching, and the amazing tech behind it.
From a room covered in X-Ray K leather,
to a floor cushioned with soft pod inlays, people would
experience each feature in a tactile way they’d never forget.
The tour would culminate with a jaw-dropping reveal of the boot,
that finally sheds light on its astonishing design.

INTERFACE DESIGN

We created K:A:Y, a visually animated AI persona, guiding the guests though the experience.

Remeber, this was created back in 2019,
way before the AI capabilities we are able to use now.
Back then we had to create a simulation in order to create
the perfect futuristic illusion to this one of a kind experience.

K:A:Y was scripted and written by me and then digitalized though text to speech.
We then visually animated the voice and projected K:A:Y’s presence onto screens
and walls all over the location.

The AI is called K:A:Y linking back to k-leather,
the core material of the Copa19 boot.

ELEVATOR

Laboratories are deep submereged into ground, right?
We successfully simulated this experience using sound and light.

The elevator ride became a futuristic experience.

A screen simulated a fast elevator ride over several floors.
In reality the ride only went down one floor.
The human mind is funny like that...

We simulated fast, passing by numbers on the display
and amplified the experience through light and sound.
What a ride.

HIGHLIGHT INSTALLATION

The key product display for the Copa19 boot.

With its design inspiration coming from the human fingerprint,
we created this futuristic 3D light installation.