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voice.md
---
bcp_version: "0.8"
file_type: voice
parent: https://registry.brandcontextprotocol.dev/adidas-844f46a0/.well-known/brand.md
last_updated: 2026-09-02
---
# Voice
adidas writes like a friend who has done the sport and wants you to do it too. Direct, personal, and energetic — pulling people in rather than testing whether they belong.
## Personality
**Inclusive energy.** Push people forward without making them feel left out. Not a velvet rope, not a lecture. A hand extended.
*Not:* hollow cheerleading, performative positivity, or competitive gatekeeping.
**Respectful.** Enthusiasm is genuine. Never ironic, never harsh, never condescending.
*Not:* irreverent, sarcastic, or detached cool.
**Direct.** Use "you." Say the thing. Short sentences over qualified ones.
*Not:* corporate hedging, passive constructions, or abstract brand-speak.
**Everyday.** Language comes from real life, not a brand bible. Casual references land because they are true to how people actually talk.
*Not:* flatly matter-of-fact, clinical, or premium-aspirational.
## Register
Casual to conversational. Accessible across audiences. Leans more energetic for sport performance contexts; stays warm and grounded for lifestyle and culture contexts.
The register moves within a bounded range:
- **Upper bound:** respectful (never irreverent or cutting)
- **Lower bound:** highly enthusiastic (never matter-of-fact or neutral)
Neither end tips into formal or into mocking.
## Vocabulary
Each entry carries a `tier` per BCP v0.8 §7.1.2.
```yaml
prefer:
- word: "you"
tier: core
rationale: >
Owner-confirmed and independently observed. adidas addresses the reader
directly throughout copy. "It's very personal and down-to-earth."
(bigbangcopy.com, retrieved 2026-09-02, citing adidas copy analysis)
- word: "everyday"
tier: default
rationale: >
First-party copy frames sport and style as part of ordinary life.
Observed in live copy: "Everyday culture." (bigbangcopy.com,
retrieved 2026-09-02)
- pattern: "casual, concrete nouns over abstract brand concepts"
tier: default
rationale: >
Owner-confirmed: copy is "direct, personal and everyday," using
casual references like "sweats" rather than "premium lifestyle
collection."
- pattern: "active voice, short declarative sentences"
tier: default
rationale: >
Consistent with owner direction ("say the thing") and observed copy
pattern. Qualifications that distance the brand from the reader
contradict the inclusive, down-to-earth register.
avoid:
- word: "impossible (as a final statement or standalone claim)"
tier: core
rationale: >
The "Impossible Is Nothing" manifesto voice is explicitly flagged as
old and not current. Owner direction: do not deploy it as active
brand copy. ("Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare." —
manifesto text, flagged as historical only.)
- pattern: "corporate hedging phrases"
tier: default
rationale: >
Owner direction: tone is direct and personal. Examples of what to
avoid: "solutions," "leverage," "best-in-class," "elevate your
wardrobe," or any phrasing that sounds like it belongs in a brand
deck rather than a conversation.
- pattern: "premium-aspirational framing"
tier: default
rationale: >
Observed off-brand contrast: "Elevate your wardrobe with our premium
lifestyle collection" reads as the opposite of adidas's everyday,
direct register. Avoid language that implies a velvet rope or
positions the reader as aspirant rather than participant.
- pattern: "irony, detachment, or mocking tone"
tier: core
rationale: >
Owner-confirmed boundary. adidas sits at (+1) Respectful on the
Irreverent–Respectful axis. Cutting, sarcastic, or self-consciously
cool copy is out of range regardless of channel or audience.
(mapandfire.com analysis, retrieved 2026-09-02, consistent with
owner statement)
```
## Sentence and cadence rules
- Lead with the verb or the "you" when possible. "Wear them with your favourite sweats" not "These can be worn with your favourite sweats."
- Prefer concrete over abstract. "Make an iconic look that's all your own" not "Express your individual style."
- Short sentences set pace. Longer sentences are fine for context, not for hesitation.
- Copy does not need to justify itself. State the thing; trust the reader.
```yaml
capitalization_notes: >
"adidas" is always lowercase, including at the start of a sentence.
This is an established brand convention and applies in all copy.
oxford_comma: "[gap] Not specified in evidence. Apply house style or confirm."
headline_periods: "[gap] Not specified in evidence. Confirm with brand team."
exclamation_points: "[gap] Not specified in evidence. Consistent with high enthusiasm register, but frequency and placement not evidenced. Confirm."
em_dashes: "[gap] Not specified in evidence. Confirm."
sentence_case_headlines: "[gap] Not specified in evidence. Confirm."
```
## Copy examples
Transpose directly from evidenced first-party language.
| On-brand | Off-brand | Why |
|----------|-----------|-----|
| "Wear them with your favourite sweats." | "Elevate your wardrobe with our premium lifestyle collection." | First-person casual vs. aspirational distance |
| "Everyday culture." | "Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare." | Current everyday register vs. old manifesto voice (do not reuse) |
| "Make an iconic look that's all your own." | "Discover our curated selection of lifestyle essentials." | Direct invitation vs. retail-catalogue passivity |
> **Note on the "Impossible" example.** This manifesto copy is historically attributed to adidas. It appears here as a counter-example only. Owner direction is explicit: it is old voice and must not be used as current copy.
## Channel and audience modulation
No channel-specific or audience-specific voice signals were present in the evidence packet. Apply personality and register rules above across all channels and audiences.
**Gap:** If channel-specific rules are needed (e.g. social vs. retail vs. performance), add them when first-party guidance is available.
## Evidence record
Findings used in this file, with authority and source hash.
| Finding | Authority | Source hash (prefix) |
|---------|-----------|----------------------|
| Tone is energetic and welcoming, pushing people forward without exclusion | owner | `040199a4` |
| "Impossible Is Nothing" manifesto voice is old; do not use as current copy | owner | `5b7d6552` |
| Tone leans respectful and highly enthusiastic (owner statement) | owner | `667173a7` |
| adidas copy is direct, personal, everyday — "you," casual references like sweats (owner) | owner | `955ffd87` |
| "We can see straight away that adidas are very direct… pronoun 'you'… personal and down-to-earth" | independent | `4c740d8e` |
| Tone keywords: Casual, Trendy, Conversational; register axis: Respectful (+1), Enthusiastic (+2) | independent | `0f3a3cf6` |
| Live copy: "Everyday culture / Wear them with your favourite sweats / Make an iconic look that's all your own" | independent | `4c740d8e` |
| Historical manifesto: "Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare." (counter-example only) | independent | `bf6e922a` |
## Evidence record
The following attributable source language is preserved because it materially constrains this profile.
### Owner-confirmed evidence
> The tone is energetic and welcoming, pushing people forward without making them feel excluded.
Source: Public source
### Owner-confirmed evidence
> adidas copy is direct, personal and everyday, using 'you' and casual references like sweats.
Source: Public source
### Owner-confirmed evidence
> adidas should not sound irreverent/mocking or flatly matter-of-fact; its tone leans respectful and highly enthusiastic.
Source: Public source