World Cup

Why Adidas Made an Actor the Lead of Its World Cup Ad and Messi the Cameo

Adidas launched Backyard Legends on May 7, 2026, a five-minute World Cup hero film with actor Timothée Chalamet as the protagonist and Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, David Beckham, and Zinedine Zidane in supporting roles. Adidas can't out-roster Nike on athletes, so it changed the genre instead. The lesson,

Why Lego Is Marketing the World Cup Like Nike Would

Lego dropped a World Cup ad this week featuring Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, and Vini Jr. building a brick trophy together. It hit 314 million Instagram views across the four players' accounts in the first wave. That is sportswear-brand territory. And that is the point. The campaign, called "Everyone