Adidas' Bored Ape NFT Makes Appearance With Messi, Benzema in New World Cup Trailer

Adidas continues its long tradition with the FIFA World Cup, this time with a crypto twist.

The sports brand included its Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) character named Indigo Herz in a recent promotional trailer published alongside footballing superstars like Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema.

Herz was depicted on a cereal box of “Indigoooooals” with the message that Benzema eats goals for breakfast. The video trailer was narrated by British rap icon Stormzy, who made a cameo appearance at the end as the coach driver transporting the players to the tournament. 

Adidas purchased Indigo Herz, or BAYC #8774, in September 2021 for 46 Ethereum, roughly $156,000 at that time. 

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The move offers an interesting example of NFT rights being leveraged by large brands.

Adidas in Web3

Yuga Labs, the founding company behind BAYC, grants holders full intellectual property rights to use the characters for commercial endeavors. 

Adidas thus have full license to use their Ape NFT across physical and digital products, from sports jerseys and sneakers to merchandise, much like traditional logos or naming rights.

This isn’t the first time a Bored Ape has been used in this way either. California-based restaurant Bored & Hungry also adopted Bored Ape #6184 throughout its menu and advertising.

Adidas formed another partnership with Yuga Labs, popular influencer GMoney, and NFT collection Punks Comics, too, to advance their pursuit of metaverse engagements, with each character starring in Adidas’ inaugural NFT drop, titled Into the Metaverse. 

Additionally, the brand is set to unveil its Capsule Collection NFT in two days. 

Judging by the shape of the boxing and community sentiment, the reveal is expected to be a physical clothing item available for redemption. 

Adidas Into the Metaverse NFT Phase 1 granted holders physical utility in the form of exclusive clothing items—a black hoodie embedded with Adidas’ blockchain address, a yellow tracksuit with the logos of all four collaborators, and a Gmoney orange beanie. 

Phase 2, the current level, is expected to advance upon physical merchandise to provide greater utility for holders both IRL and via access to metaverse experiences.