The Billboard Run
Adidas
Campaign Objective
To engage urban runners with the Adidas brand by creating a real-life game—blending exercise, competition and city exploration, all powered by QR scans on digital OOH media.
Campaign Story
In April 2024, Adidas transformed Stockholm into an open-air racecourse. “The Billboard Run” challenged runners to race from one digital billboard to another however they chose. At the starting billboard, runners scanned a prominently displayed QR code which triggered a synchronized countdown on both the billboard and their phone. They then sprinted through city streets toward the designated finish-line billboard, where their race time and rank instantly appeared in real-time on the screen. Each day featured different routes between various Adidas billboards, turning routine runs into a thrilling, tech-augmented competition.
Execution
Adidas and agency Accenture Song set up special billboards in four Stockholm districts as interactive race checkpoints
Runners opted in by scanning a QR code on Billboard “A”, which launched a mobile web app and simultaneously started a race countdown clock on the billboard itself
Runners dashed to Billboard “B” at Central Station, taking any route they liked—GPS tracking was not needed, it was honor-system racing with public leaderboards
Upon arrival, scanning the QR at the finish billboard stopped their timer and posted their stats up on the big screen alongside others’ results
Influencers and run clubs joined in, and Adidas rewarded participants with shoes, gear, and marathon tickets for engaging across the four-day event.
Campaign Success
Over 500 races were logged in just 4 days. The campaign’s DOOH ads garnered 6.17 million impressions. Local running clubs started their own Billboard Run challenges, and Adidas saw a 205% increase in brand interest in Sweden over three months following the activation.
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