Dive Brief:

• Foot Locker tapped Houston Rockets star James Harden and actor Colin Farrell (playing the NBA icon's confident ‘inner voice’) for its back-to-school campaign, launched on Monday.

• The Foot Locker spot features a variety of Adidas apparel, specifically the company's popular Ultra Boost sneakers.

• The commercial aims to associate Harden’s confident personality (“the embodiment of cool without having to say it”) with the idea of shopping at Foot Locker, Stacy Cunningham, the retailer's vice president of marketing, said in a press release.

Dive Insight:

In a market plagued with dipping sales in basketball footwear and changing consumer tastes (not to mention challenges like the Sports Authority bankruptcy), Foot Locker is stepping out with more comedic ads featuring NBA stars like Harden. The new Ultra Boosts, released only a few weeks ago, are a more wearable shoe designed for a variety of workouts, not just basketball.

The Harden ad also distances Foot Locker from Adidas archrival Nike, the source of about 70% of the retailer’s merchandise, according to Seeking Alpha. In May, Foot Locker CEO Richard Johnson acknowledged softening demand in its basketball shoes and greater preferences for more all-around athletic shoe gear: Executives blamed recent disappointing sales totals in part on declines in basketball footwear, noting declining demand for Nike’s LeBron James and Kevin Durant signature models. 

Adidas is enjoying a renaissance: Since Harden signed a 13-year, $200 million deal with the athletic apparel maker last year, Adidas’ stock has risen by 40%. Harden is also set to release his own signature sneaker with Adidas in December and has helpled lightened Foot Locker's image with a recent two-week Twitter campaign in which he took on dares from users, such as taking a selfie with a camel and singing "I’m a little teapot."

“When you talk about Carlos Correa and James Harden and some of these guys that have personality and really stand for being an individual, that’s unique positioning for us,” U.S. Adidas CEO Mark King told Yahoo Finance, adding that their goal is to find athletes that see themselves as "creators." 

Last month Adidas announced it is expanding its relationship with Kanye West. In 2013, Adidas lured West away from a previous collaboration with Nike, collaborating on his popular Yeezy Boost 750 shoe. Harden is expected to co-design a basketball shoe with West, but details have not yet been released.