adidas adiZero Crazy Light vs The “Other” Guys

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Nike and Reebok went head to head to determine who would control the basketball sneaker market for what has turned out to be nearly two decades.  Nike had Michael Jordan, but they went so far as to more or less copy the ever popular Reebok Pump with the Air Pressure, leading the Vector brand to respond that fans should make the decision to ‘Pump Up and Air Out’.  We hadn’t seen any such oppositional marketing since then, but with adidas purchasing Reebok outright in 2005 to unite as the world’s second largest athletic brand, you just knew that wouldn’t be the end.  So here’s the newest example of brand warfare, a literal assault on the Nike Hyperdunk 2010 courtesy of adidas Basketball’s aptly named 9.8oz banger, the Crazy Light.

The Crazy Light is shown to be levitating thanks to its featherlight construction, whereas it takes getting samurai chopped to get the Hyperdunk 2010 down to a similar weight.  A striking image, to be sure, but is being lighter than your competitor by the weight of their lateral toe really a huge advantage?  Could ads like this draw attention to the aggressor as underdog and thereby give unintended attention to the competitor?  And if you’ve worn a pair, is the adidas adiZero Crazy Light really better on court than the Hyperdunk 2010?  Click through to see the ad in its entirety and be sure to leave a comment to let us know what you think of this approach to advertising.