Ad of the Day: Adidas takes on Samsung’s controversial ‘Night Owls’ ad in women’s safety campaign
Sports brand responds to Samsung’s solo female jogging ad.
Adidas has mimicked Samsung’s controversial ‘Night Owls’ campaign to challenge the ‘ridiculous’ measures women have to take to feel safe on a run.
A survey of 9,000 women through the Adidas Running app that revealed 68% have taken precautions to feel safer exercising on the streets. This includes running with just one earphone in, bringing an alert whistle, and wearing loose clothing.
Other findings from the survey include 92% of women reported feeling concerned for their safety, half afraid of being physically attacked, and over a third (38%) had already experienced physical or verbal harassment.
‘The Ridiculous Run’ ad from Adidas challenges last year’s spot from Samsung, which showed a woman confidently running through a city at night. The tech giant’s ad racked up 27 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) but was eventually cleared by the regulator. Despite the green light from the regulator, Samsung did decide to pull the ads from TV and cinema following the heavy criticism.
TBWA/Neboko is behind the campaign, which is part of the wider Adidas ’With Women We Run’ project in collaboration with White Ribbon, which aims to stamp out harassment in running.