Adidas' Head of Global Marketing Vicky Free Departs

Vicky Free has left her role as global head of marketing at Adidas, Adweek has confirmed. Free was appointed to lead the activewear brand's marketing team in January 2021, tasked with telling "compelling consumer brand stories" that would drive commercial success. She arrived at the company's headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany after 20 years leading marketing teams for multinational brands including Walt Disney, BET and Novant Health in the U.S. Free was unavailable for comment. The company did not confirm her successor. During her two-year tenure at Adidas, the marketer relaunched the brand's "Impossible is Nothing" campaign with a proposition designed to speak to under-represented groups, including women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Alongside that, Adidas ramped up investment in women's activewear and athletic footwear. Its marketing team also debuted a reengineered line of sports bras; which were promoted via posters showing 25 pairs of bare breasts above the message “Support Is Everything”. Under her watch, Adidas also won a Cannes Lion Grand Prix for its "Liquid Billboard" which encouraged women to swim in public. ‘Explicit’ Adidas Ad Ban Challenges Definitions of Sexualization and Censorship Free steered Adidas through several controversies too, most notably criticism over its Yeezy brand partnership with rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye). In Oct. 2022, the business faced widespread condemnation for taking two weeks to cut ties with West after he made a string of anti-Black and antisemitic outbursts across social media channels and other outlets. While other companies, including West's longtime agent CAA and fashion house Balenciaga quickly terminated contracts with West, Adidas remained hush while it "reviewed" the relationship. This prompted a pile-on from consumers on social media. Eventually, on Oct. 25, it confirmed it would halt its Yeezy collaboration with an “immediate” effect. Explaining why it took so long, Free told Adweek it faced a "complex situation" behind the scenes. “We have employees, partners and production factories all around the world that are impacted by the decision we made," she said at the time. "We know that was the right decision, but we needed to approach it with diligence and care. There [were] a lot of people involved. We took the time necessary to make the right decisions and I’m personally proud to stand by that decision.” Adidas’ Top Marketer Explains Why It Took Time to Respond to Kanye Antisemitism Controversy She also helped the brand navigate its longstanding FIFA Men's World Cup sponsorship deal during the divisive 2022 tournament in Qatar, despite the tournament being mired by accusations of corruption against FIFA and criticism over the host nation's LGBTQ+ rights, with a campaign from TBWA that celebrated togetherness. Soon after dropping Ye, Free announced a collaboration with U.K. grime artist Stormzy via “Merky FC” for a careers initiative which is dedicated to boosting diversity in soccer. “We couldn’t have [launched that campaign] without [Stormzy]," she said. "He’s got an amazing persona and a personal passion to open up the field of sport to people of Black and African descent. That was core to him and we needed to partner with him to make it a reality.” A challenging road ahead Free's departure dovetails with the arrival of new CEO Bjorn Gulden, who took on the top job last month. Gulden inherits the tough job of increasing the company's market value. Following several profit warnings in 2022, the company lowered its earnings outlook owing to the impact of an overhang of inventory, a drop in demand and the severed Yeezy deal. Chief financial officer Harm Ohlmeyer, insisted the profitability of the Yeezy collaboration had been “overstated,” after some estimates pitted the range’s sales could account for as much as 10% of Adidas’ total revenues. This week, Adidas debuted a label geared towards Gen Z called Sportswear, positioned between its Performance and Originals lines. It marked the company’s first full collection launch in 50 years and comes in response to data showing growing consumer demand for "easy to wear apparel and footwear, with comfort at the core and that can be worn across multiple occasions." The launch campaign saw Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega join Adidas as an ambassador, starring beside Premier League soccer star Son Heung-min and professional basketballer Trae Young among others.

Leadership & Talent

Adidas' Head of Global Marketing Vicky Free Departs

The marketer rebooted 'Impossible is Nothing' and steered brand through Kanye West controversy

Rebecca Stewart

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Rebecca Stewart