As consumers watch less terrestrial TV and turn evermore towards their mobile devices, brands are reallocating budget towards video for YouTube.

A worldwide study by AOL’s global branded content platform Be On found that 78% of European respondents agreed that the platform offers better engagement and scale potential. The finding is representative of a global shift towards online video spend, with branded content becoming an important focus of global advertising strategies.

Adidas is the latest global brand choosing online video marketing to not just promote its new Adizero F50 Messi boot, but also to tell its brand story.

At the heart of the campaign is an online film starring Barcelona’s star footballer Lionel Messi. “The New Speed of Light’ features Messi wearing an Adidas TechFit suit with hundreds of LED lights woven into it. The visual magic begins when Messi starts demonstrating his skills with a ball fitted with LED lights that light up the stripes on his boots. As well as capturing Messi’s prowess, the film also highlights the so-called ‘light in motion’ design of the new boot (whatever that may be).

It’s an impressive piece of creative video, filmed at 1,000 frames per second using a Phantom camera to showcase Messi’s moves in intricate detail. And what moves they are; award-winning Messi has bagged the Fifa Ballon d’Or and thus earned the title of world’s best footballer four times, most recently this January.

As the new golden boy of football, who some are calling the greatest footballer who ever lived, it’s unsurprising that brands from Pepsi Max to Gatorade have been climbing over themselves to associate their brand with Messi.

Messi has worn Adidas’ boots for some time, and the brand has played on its association with the sporting legend at key opportunities – for instance with the release of an ad to coincide with Messi’s record-breaking goal scoring tally during 2012. Messi also promoted the f50 adizero micoach boot for Adidas (which boasts a chip monitoring players’ performance and reporting back vital stats) back in November 2011.

“The New Speed of Light” is yet another example of a huge global brand harnessing YouTube’s vast reach for branded content – and in this case inviting viewers to click through from the film to buy the new boot.

The ad was created by Iris, led by Adidas global brand director Thomas Van Schaik.

What do you think of the film?