Campaign Spotlight: adidas Chinese New Year film celebrates youth football dedication

Adidas launched a Chinese New Year campaign celebrating China’s emerging football talent through a film following youth players as they balance festive traditions with athletic dedication.

Created by TBWA Shanghai, the 85-second film features athletes from Xu Genbao Football Base and Tsinghua University High School Football Team who continue training during Spring Festival celebrations. Set to the traditional song “Happy New Year,” the campaign shows players training in snow, sharing dumplings with teammates, and expressing their football and life aspirations.

The film positions football participation as woven into Chinese New Year values of family and community. Players appear alongside coaches and teammates who serve as extended families—social structures that nurture both athletic excellence and personal growth.

The film is being distributed across Adidas’s Chinese social platforms—including WeChat, Xiaohongshu (Red), Douyin, and Weibo—alongside vertical football media channels. This documentary-style approach shaped both content and distribution strategy. 

Beyond the campaign: Adidas’s role in Chinese football pedagogy

China’s 15th Five-Year Plan has transformed the country’s school football landscape from a simple participation target into what officials now call a physical literacy development system. Adidas maintains a partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Education that positions the brand within this institutional framework.

The “Double Reduction” policy limited after-school homework and created a three-hour window between 3:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Schools have increasingly allocated this time to physical education programs.

Urban families have increased spending on what Chinese education policy calls “quality education” (Suizhi Jiaoyu), which emphasizes personal development alongside academic achievement.

Adidas has capitalized on China’s football momentum and continues to expand its presence. In January 2026, Adidas became the official strategic partner for the Su Super League in a deal valued at approximately 21 million yuan (€2.7 million). The partnership includes 1 million yuan (€130,000) in equipment for each of the 13 participating teams and 8 million yuan (€1 million) in cash support. The Adidas Shanghai Creative Centre is designing custom, city-specific kits for each team to celebrate local culture.