adidas Originals "#OriginalSuperstar with Pharrell" (2015) 1:00 (USA)

Recently, adidas Originals dropped a spot featuring a bunch of super star celebs insisting they weren't superstars. Now adidas Originals brings us a choddy, in which a bunch of superstars tell us they aren't doing what they do for applause or appraisal but just for themselves alone. Pharrell has handpicked these "superstars," who each read a line in a manifesto in one long montage. There are some great graphic treatments which keep it visually interesting.

By the way, those stars in question are musician Pusha T, Grigoriy Dobrygin, a Russian actor/director, Yoon, a designer from Japan, VJ Mian, VJ/designer from China and Smithe, a Mexican illustrator. And of course, Pharrell.

The spot is atmospheric, dark and set to the kind of moody orchestral music that feels at home in a Jason Bourne movie. It's quite a stark contrast between the Originals house party campaign that ran from 2008 till around 2013 or so. Those spots all featured celebrities from all walks of life, too, but they were usually hanging out with cool kids in houses and street corners. And while that campaign was all style and no substance, at least it was fun. It felt like anyone could join in the fun. And the tagline reflected that: Celebrate Originality.

Now it's as if adidas Originals has gone from being the the center of the party who welcomes all to being this moody kid who sits in a dark corner, holding you at arm's length, demanding you treat him with Respect™ because he is a Serious Artist™, but don't start putting expectations on him because he does what he wants, and whatever you do, don't ever call him a Superstar.™ That's more like Selfhate Originality.

Client: adidas
Agency: Johannes Leonardo
Chief Creative Officer: Jan Jacobs
Chief Creative Officer: Leo Premutico
Executive Creative Director: Tom Martin
Executive Creative Director: Julian Schreiber
Creative Director: Matthew Edwards
Creative Director: Wes Phelan
Creative Director: Ferdinando Verderi
Senior Account Supervisor: Dominique Dalton
Account Director: Sam McCallum
Account Executive: Gulru Soylu
Head of Production: Cedric Gairard
Print Executive Producer: Maria Perez
Producer: Loretta Rae
Producer: Peisin Yang Lazo
Production Coordinator: Dustin Grant
Designer: Mike Vickers
Designer: Zoonzin Yoonjin Lee
Production Company: Elastic
Director: Patrick Clair
1st Assistant Director: Rick Lange
Director of Photography: Bob Chappell
B Unit Director of Photography: David McFarland
Art Director: Alexander Delgado
Production Supervisor: Laurie Devine
Line Producer: Ron Cosentino
Executive Producer: Jennifer Sofio Hall
Lead Animation & Compositing: Raoul Marks
Designers: Jeff Han, Kevin Heo, Paul Kim
2D Animators: David Do, Peter Murphy, Yongsub Song, Sam Sparks
Head of 3D: Kirk Shintani
3D Artists: Aaron Baker, Joe Chiechi, Jose Limon, Joe Paniagua
Online Artists: Dan Ellis, Kevin Stokes
Flame Assist: Gabe Sanchez
Associate Producer: Danny Hirsch
Producer: Carol Salek, Heather Johann
Color A52
Colorist: Paul Yacono
Color Assistants: Chris Riley, Erik Rojas
Color Producer: Anna Vegezzi
Editorial LA: Rock Paper Scissors LA
Editor: Damion Clayton
Assistant Editor: Alexa Vallejo
Producer: Jared Thomas, Shada Shariatzadeh, Ashley Bartell
Executive Producer: Angela Dorian
Editorial NY: Rock Paper Scissors NY
Editor: Dan deWinter
Assistant Editor: Michael Shugarman
Producer: Jenny Greenfield
Executive Producer: Eve Kornblum
Sound Design: Q Department
Sound Mix: Sonic Union
Audio post mixer: Steve Rosen