German student’s Adidas advert refused by company twice goes viral

A college student’s tear-jerking advert for Adidas has racked up millions of views on the internet after being turned down by the company – twice.

Eugen Merher, a 26-year-old student at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany, created the moving ad on a budget of just €2,000 as part of his commercial directing course.

It shows an elderly care home resident, who was a keen runner as a young man, slipping into his worn-out trainers and desperately trying to sprint away.

Each time he makes a break for the exit, care home staff hold him back – until right at the very end, when he manages to escape.

The advert, which was made last year, has racked up more than two and a half million views since it was released for the second time, with new music, three weeks ago.

It comes after Eugen and his team of seven other filmmakers pitched it twice to Adidas in the hope of scraping together some extra funding to help them make it.