adidas
City2Surf

For City2Surf, adidas wanted a memorable way to showcase its Adizero running shoe range within a physical activation in Sydney.

Working with Not So Normal Productions, the challenge was to move beyond a traditional product display and create something that captured the energy of the event while giving visitors a reason to interact with the shoes.

The experience also needed to work within a tightly defined physical footprint and be immediately intuitive for people stepping into mixed reality for the first time.

We created a mixed reality experience that began with the product and expanded into a fast-paced running challenge.

Participants could explore digital twins of four Adizero shoes before stepping through a virtual portal anchored directly into the physical activation space.

On the other side, the environment transformed into a Temple Run-style course where players collected shoes, dodged runners and jumped hurdles as they raced to set the fastest time.

Mixed reality allowed the experience to feel connected to the physical adidas activation rather than separated from it.

Using Quest 3 passthrough, digital products and game elements appeared directly within the event space before opening into a more immersive racing environment.

The transition from exploring the shoes to competing in the challenge connected product discovery and play as one continuous experience.

The journey starts with participants interacting with digital versions of the Adizero range before entering the racing portal.

Once inside, the focus shifts to speed and reaction — collecting shoes, avoiding obstacles and jumping hurdles to complete the course as quickly as possible.

Every run generates a finish time, turning the experience into a social competition as participants return to see who can claim the highest score.

The activation transformed the Adizero showcase from something visitors looked at into something they actively took part in.

The racing challenge became a competitive focal point within the activation, giving participants a memorable interaction with the brand while reinforcing the speed and performance story around the product range.

By blending physical space, digital product and gameplay, adidas was able to turn a shoe showcase into an experience built around movement.