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On Wednesday, Adidas tweeted a composite image of 25 people’s bare breasts. The tweet announced a sports bra range of 43 styles for different body types.
While some said the spread was attention-grabbing and inclusive, others questioned whether the tweet was smart marketing:
Should Adidas have featured less nudity, more product? It depends on Adidas’ goals.
If the goal was organic social engagement…
Good news: The tweet earned 30X the likes of Adidas’ next sports-bra-related post, which showed clothed women, not nude ones.
Bad news: Adidas can’t repurpose its most viral tweet on other platforms. Instagram has a nudity policy and Google Ads explicitly bans female breasts.
If the goal was to sell sports bras…
Good news: Praise and UGC from high-profile sex positivity leaders like Cindy Gallop could expose Adidas to a new audience. Think Gen Z, 97% of whom reference social media before making a purchase.
Bad news: The tweet doesn’t actually show the bras — and product photos on Adidas’ site don’t celebrate as many diverse body shapes. Mixed messages!
Our takeaway?
Adidas turned heads with its tweet, and gained ~6K followers. It seems like this was a net win for organic social engagement — and potentially Adidas’ whole funnel.
