Adidas uses creativity to find social media chief

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Using an unusual approach, adidas Golf is looking for a new social media catalyst. So the company created a globetrotting adventure, called Wear in the World for two finalists to travel to nine countries on three continents over 50 days. They begin their adventure this week at adidas' global headquarters in Germany and the winner will get the job.

The two finalists -- Wisconsin's Steve Olsen and Oregon's Chris Dukeminier -- will compete through a series of challenges and will be tasked with creating compelling content through social media. This leads to a finale where one winner will come away with a job.

"This is too good to be true," said Olsen, who has a background in marketing and public relations. "When I got the call that I was a finalist, my hands were shaking and I could barely breathe. There are two things I'm passionate about: golf and marketing, and this job can combine the two."

For Dukeminier, he understands that knowing golf is a prerequisite. "I've been a golfer since I was 1 years old," said Dukeminier, who has experinece in marketing and was on the University of Oregon golf team. "My interest was sparked when I realized that I could travel the world and play a bunch of golf at a lot of famous sites."

Harry Arnett, vice president of brand and marketing for adidas Golf and Ashworth, said the company thought a program like this would be a fresh way instead of a traditional search.
"Our hope is through this unique adventure, a talented applicant will emerge," Arnett said. "At the same time the applicants are competing, they are going to be playing golf in various weather condition which by its very nature highlights the performance benefits of adidas Golf clima products. … We wanted to test these finalists with the most authentic challenge that would demonstrate their ability to create great content."

Olsen said he is ready for the challenge. "We're both very competitive guys," he said. "It's going to be a lot of fun competing for this job. We both want it badly."

To follow the applicants and see video and pictures of their adventure, visit here.