Students treated to exclusive insights from legendary DJ behind #Prouder campaign

University of Northampton Marketing students heard from legendary UK DJ, Fat Tony, about his experience being part of the Adidas campaign, #Prouder, in 2018.

The students, who were studying Marketing disciplines from across the University, had just 10 questions and one hour to explore the #Prouder campaign, from conception to a star-studded exhibition at Pride 2018, as part of the guest lecture.

Tony is a long-term collaborator with Adidas, and worked as curator and organiser of the #Prouder campaign, which made waves in the world of fashion, art, and music, and more importantly created a space to talk about The Albert Kennedy Trust, an LGBTQ+ homelessness charity.

With their 10 questions, the students quizzed Tony about the campaign planning process, celebrity support, the creative inspiration, and marketing tactics used on the campaign. Tony shared with the students how he was keen to drive forward change, moving away from brand tokenism to meaningful support and engagement with the LGBTQ+ community.

Tony shared how he engaged A-list celebrities to reimagine Adidas’ well-loved Samba style to their taste and sense of pride. From the Cinderella-inspired glass shoes from Kate Moss, to Miami-inspired design from David Beckham; the trainers evolved into an art installation at Pride 2018.

Tony shared how with just four months of planning, and with no paid for advertising, the campaign got billions of engagements across social media, and press coverage in major titles from Vogue online to GQ. Tony wowed students with his experience leading the Adidas #Prouder campaign, which featured A-lists celebrities from David Beckham to Marc Jacobs and Sir Elton John, in support of an organisation close to his heart, The Albert Kennedy Trust.

The insights shared by Tony, inspired the students, with Emma Turay, a second year, BA Fashion Marketing student, commenting after the guest lecture: “Tony brought real insights into what it takes for a campaign, his thoughts on planning, logistics, creative inspiration, and tactics, like offering exclusives, were fascinating. Hearing how he made the campaign work, with a global brand like Adidas, was fascinating.”

Iain Bromley, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Northampton said: “The guest lecture from Tony is just one of many ways industry leaders work with and inspire students while they study at Northampton. Through regular industry guest lectures, the students hear from the people behind some of the biggest campaigns for household brands and can explore how the theoretical marketing practices the students are studying, are rolled out into practice.”