Three communication lessons hiding in the Adidas World Cup ad

A breakdown of what each one means for your next pitch or presentation.

If you read my previous article, you know the ad. If you didn’t, here’s what you need:

Adidas released a five-minute World Cup film called Backyard Legends, starring Timothée Chalamet, Messi, Bad Bunny, Zidane, Bellingham, Trinity Rodman, and other football icons.

It went viral before the tournament started.

That column was about what the ad gets right philosophically: nobody translated, nobody adjusted, the game was the universal language.

This piece is about the mechanics.

I watched the film three times. The first because it’s genuinely good. The second because I couldn’t stop thinking about why. The third time, I was taking notes.

What follows is what I wrote down: three things the ad does from a communication standpoint that are worth taking into your next high-stakes meeting.