Around the edges of soccer fields around the world recently we’ve been treated to light-board signs/graphics saying: “Adidas In All In”, which I suppose is their new slogan. But is this a good slogan? “All In” might refer to gambling, and as such, isn’t that associating themselves with a disreputable institution? But the other “all in” I’m familiar with refers to being dead tired and about to fall down dead asleep, as in: “I’m all in.” (Like when someone asks you if you want to go out after a long day, and you say: “No thanks. You guys go; I’m all in.”) Neither use of the idea of being “all in” seems like a very good sports-clothing advertising metaphor to me, but maybe I’m missing something. (Unless Adidas is trying to tell us not to bother them because they’re so tired. Do you suppose that’s what they’re really trying to say here, but without seeming rude, because they still want to sell us stuff? Because if that’s what they mean, then I’m wrong, and it’s perfect.) After all, Adidas is a German company, right? And as such, perhaps we can chalk this up to being another “lost-in-translation” incident. But if it’s going to be in English, don’t you think it should be created specifically for English? Oh, well: Maybe it makes more sense in England.
