Turn on the lights – harnessing positive energy in London

550,000 watts of energy – what does that actually mean? From powering 52,000 full charges on your smartphone, to running a treadmill for 12 and a half days, or brewing 1,500 coffees from your local vendor. But what if we used it to light the iconic Victoria Park in London? Pretty cool, right!

At adidas we’re using innovative ways to connect and build relationships with our audience – consumers who live busy lives but still find the time to run, train, box, swim, in an already active city like London.

Connecting and using this positive energy became the focus of a running event we hosted in February.

“Short days, long nights, bad weather, holiday hangovers…there were lots of reasons for people to stay indoors, but not our runners.”

They found the motivation to get outside and we wanted to reward them by taking all their 550,000 watts of energy and making their running experience even more enjoyable.

As part of our brand activation team in the UK, I helped launch our new women’s-specific running shoe to the female athlete. Taking inspiration from the shoe, PureBOOST X, The X immersive pop up space in Victoria Park, London became a hub of energy as female runners took back their park.

Here’s how we harnessed our runners’ positive energy and shared it with the community:

1. Design a space she craves to visit:

We offered a beautiful exercise and brand environment in her favourite park with over 30 free classes led by top fitness personalities.

2. Join forces with the industry leaders:

By covering the space in Pavegen panels, renewable energy was produced from every footstep inside the X installation. It’s amazing how many steps and how much energy fitness classes can produce!

3. Leverage latent desires and preferences:

With Victoria Park a popular spot to run, but closed after 5pm during the winter months, we gave women their park back in a way they didn’t expect. Using the generated energy, one mile of the park became an illuminated running track with 400+ lights creating a unique experience. And she embraced it.

4. Leave a legacy

Through the Pavegen legacy and community initiatives, the park will return to its original state. By lighting the flame, it sparked her desire to keep running.

Over 4,500 runners experienced this unique route. And if you ask me, that beats running a treadmill hands down. So how will you harness your energy today?