"Impossible is nothing"

I just wanted opinions on this because I find this phrase highly irritating. Is this a monumental cock-up or just marketing trying to be overly clever ? Is this a classic example of non-native English speaker arrogantly thinking they know better than native speakers?

Lastly, can someone tell me what the phrase means? 'Nothing is impossible' ?

I am not a linguist, but I'd be interested in the professional views of those that are.

I think its a great slogan. Pretty inspirational and captures the spirt of the Olympics - higher, faster, longer or whatever it is exactly.

What does it mean??? Surely that you can achieve anything if you work for it etc etc...on the big stage when world and olympic records can be broken?

It's an old slogan that adidas have been using since 2004, not something new.


As for native English speakers who have worked for the company, no comment.

I, for one, don't get it. OK, I understand "Nothing is impossible", but "Impossible is nothing" theoretically has a different meaning. Why should "The impossible" be considered "nothing". It seems to imply that doing the seemingly impossible is easy or commonplace.

Either ADS are idiots or I need better drugs.

A selection of the 'Impossible is Nothing' ads from 2004.

Evolution: Impossible is Nothing

I also find the slogan highly irritating and nonsensical. Not clever, but confusing.

is this a case of 'emperor's new clothes' syndrome, surely the phrase is non-sensical ?

well I feel a bit better that I am not alone on this!

That, if anything, is what it means to me. Which I suspect is not what the marketing department concerned had in mind.

Wasn't it about that time that Toyota came up with "Nichts ist unmöglich"?

maybe the 'idea' behind it is when you wear addidas sportswear the things that were once impossible becomes easy. Most ads and slogans are dumb, but if you pay enough attention to them that you know addidas has such and such a slogan the marketing was obviously successful.

"Impossible" means to me that it cannot be done. "Nothing" means to me either empty (null) or unsuccessful - no result, no fulfillment. So the slogan seems to say don't even bother to try doing the impossible, since you'll end up with nothing to show for it.

Could this not be vaguely influenced by some Che Guevara quote?

Quite logical really - the impossible is nonexistent and therefore it is nothing.

Im still confused! Does it make sense grammatically? Isn't it a bit like saying "Orange is table" or "Loud is television" that isn't English is it?

Kinda like Apple's "Think different". Sounds wrong at first glance. Which I suppose is the idea, because it will cause people to stop and think about it. Lends itself to interpretation though. I think they're trying to convey the image that Addidas puts its wearers above the restraints of what other people might consider impossibe.

I certainly doubt this is just a translation gone wrong.

yes, I agree, I just had the suspicion that somewhere along the line a German speaker may have thought that it sounded a little better than it does to native speakers! The Apple slogan is similar but not as uncomfortable to me.

Sure it's meant to make people sit up and take notice first and think about it second.
But there are limits, and this one is so annoying that it has the opposite effect on me from that intended.

Yes, the Apple slogan isn't near as jarring.

I'd be interested to hear Gideon's take on this. *prod prod*

"Think different" is much more annoying, as it is quite simply grammatically incorrect. "Think differently" would be correct, as think is a verb and therefore requires an adverb, and not an adjective...
</pedant mode>

You are not thinking different there...

Think pink. Think spring. Think different.

Might be an American English thing, but they all sound right to me.

I think apples slogan works because you aren't supposed to think differently but when you think of the product you should think of it as different from the competition. I think they hope you are obviously think that it is a good different.

Maybe Yoda came up with the slogan. Or would that be "Impossible nothing is"?

I actually like it. You need some kind of twist to catch attention. I have a much bigger problem with "jingle smells" and "come in and find out"

What's wrong with "come in and find out"?

The way it was pronounced was quite annoying, it didn't sound right or interesting, just plain stupid and I just hated it. Sorry but that's my opinion.

No need to be sorry. I thought you were implying that it was grammatically incorrect.

Oh I've been proded... Proded here, poked on facebook, I'm covered in virtual bruises I tell yee.

My thoughts. There are people who are paid to create copy, text and slogans which are grammatically correct. And then there are those who are paid to make a couple of words stand out and be boldly different, provocative and quirky. The former stick to the rules, and rule with sticks anyone who dare break the false constructs that they hold so dearly. The latter don't care for rules because in a competitive world impossible is nothing because you think different. The former live in a literary world, the later a verbal one where a strong consonant ending is an empowering call to face challenge compared to its grammatic but glib vowel like school-masterly request.

I could go on. But the very fact that the slogans are being discussed is worth more.

BGE (Basic Global English) here we come.
9 grammar rules and a vocabulary of 750 words.
Future it is.

Wow...if Wiki is right, adidas has a thing for stupidity...Its German slogan is,


Is this true?

Why is that stupid?

Isn't stupid at all - the three stripes are adidas as much as the swoosh is Nike. While adidas has other icons like their Trefoil, three stripes is their thing. And when the Tibetan protestors were being removed from the Olympic ceremony, I bet the clearly visible three stripes on the security people's tracksuits made the odd few wince in Herzo.

But what I am enjoying seeing in this thread is how everyone has been consistent with adidas' style sheet. adidas is always written lower case by the company and looking at the thread, that identity is coming across.

"Forever Sport" was the strapline before "impossible is nothing", just for completeness.

Unless they are in discusions with the IOC, then they are no longer a visual brand but a style element. Much to nike's annoyance.

I am a fan of neither, but I guess it ( the slogan, not the logo) somehow feels a bit static...

And interestingly enough, the guys from across the river, PUMA, dont have a slogan...the whole lifestyle brand explanation!!

toyota got that slogan since forever, but i surely thought they just swapped it around so it doesnt look like they just stole it from them

It sounds daft.





More! More!


The slogan makes you take notice, but not in a good way. It's not a smart play on words but a clunky expression that sounds unnatural. You're not going to read a slogan that bastardizes English and immediately think: "Hey, they speak pidgin English! They must be real professionals that sell brilliant products!"

Personally, I have no problems with "impossible is nothing".

To me, it suggests "achieving the impossible is nothing: we've already done it (and are now attempting the even more impossible, e.g. doing backward somersaults whilst juggling chainsaws, blindfolded and standing on one leg in a hammock)".

So I say it's grammatically (and possibly even semantically) correct, although perhaps logically speaking a little surreal.

I sincerely hope that "think different" doesn't imply that "think" is being used as a noun. As Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes fame once said: "Verbing weirds words!"

I also have no trouble with the idea that "Impossible is nothing" could be a shortening of "With adidas products, even the impossible is effortless."

But a phrase like "With {xxx} products..." would seem camp.

[camp] = not to be confused with [camping]