Ch.10 Product Concept

United we stand divided we fall, a simply way to explain Adidas' rise in the industry. With a vision that sprouted from their mothers kitchen the Dasser brothers founded a small shoe company that later lead to the creation of the Adidas company. Their humble story gives a perfect example of how far a little determination and perseverance can go.

The shoe that started it all

In 1936 they journeyed to the summer Olympics with a trunk full of running spikes where they persuaded U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens to use them. This resulted in being the first sponsorship for an African American athlete. Following Owens's assault of four gold medals, his success cemented the good reputation of Dassler shoes among the world's most famous sportsmen. Business boomed and the Dassler brothers were selling 200,000 pairs of shoes each year before World War II. 
At this point in the companies career their only product was considered a consumer product for it sought to satisfy individuals wants and needs in the area of track and field.


Due to irreconcilable differences the pair spilt and younger brother Adolf "Adi" Dassle founded Adidas in 1948. With an entirely new attitude and perpective of things Adolf launched his company and later implemented a new product mix introducing an apparel line dedicated to different sporting activities and even a line for urban wear.

In today's world Adidas is internationally known and offers a wide range of products that fall in the categories of consumer, convenience, shopping and even specialty products. The vast amount of products along their product mix helped Adidas to create create remarkable product lines.

Ch.18 Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

(Ad for LivingInSingaporeToday.com advertising Adidas product sale)

Sales promotions are offend used to create an interest or employ the consumers demand for a product. For Adidas this sales tactic is somewhat irrelevant and gets little to no play in the game until year end or the end of a products cycle. Adidas product do go on sale on a regular basis but this initiative is usually employed by external retailers like food locker, Champs and even Foot Action whom are all authorized distributors of Adidas products.

Non paid advertisements is an area where Adidas has shown great interest in. Yes, even well established and multi-million dollar corporation like adidas
are interested in freebies every now and then. Free advertisements allow for us at Adidas to increase revenue and up our earning potential. Adidas is now the NBA's official merchandiser which automatically translates as free advertisements as Adidas is now responsible to make all official uniforms. Having all 30 teams and every player wear uniforms and warm up wear with Adidas' logo in plain sight clearly suggests promotion and endorsing at its best if you ask me.

Selling for us at Adidas involves personal contact which is why employees are constantly urged to approach customers and initiate conversations with them. This technique is referred to as personal selling and has shown to be very beneficial  when obtaining sales. The main focus for our in store associates is to educate and demonstrate in a consultative manor about the products available.

Ch.17 Advertising and Public Relations

Evidently products don't sell themselves no matter how succesful or well known a product or company is. For Adidas launching an ad campaign packed with pro athletes, pop stars and an overdose of adrenaline provides us at Adidas with a competitive edge over our competitors.

How about a constant reminder every time you commute to and from work that also acts as a stress/tension reliever. Adidas new ad campaign which boasts the title of "The first advertisement in history you can kick, punch, and trample at will." If you've never experienced a Chinese subway, you might not understand the magnitude of this. Adidas has installed punching bags in Chinese subway stations. You're supposed to relieve the stress of commuting by punching or kicking the bags. "Every year you have to wait on the platform for about 1,824 minutes. Don't waste your time, come and have some punch!" Critics applaud Adidas and suggests that this new gimmick is pure genius and agreed that there isn't a better way for a major brand to engage its audience than letting them sink a few fists unto a post.

The slogan printed on the punching bag when translated says: ‘Every year you have to wait on the platform for about 1,824 minutes. Don’t waste your time, come and have some punch !’

Adidas has already captured the attention of its target market, there ad campaign is basically in place to remind the target market of Adidas' existence and what we have to offer. Majority of the companies ads are a great example of institutional advertising, this advertising concept aims to enhance and pro-long the reputation that Adidas has built throughout the years.

Ch.15 Retailing

From Sweden to Japan no matter where in the world you might be you can always visit an Adidas concept store or locate a sporting goods retailer and expect to find a variety of Adidas products. With the aid of external and third party distributors Adidas is able to distribute and maintain dominance in the industry. Realtionships with External retailers like Foot Locker, Models and Dicks's Sporting Goods assists Adidas in distributing a wide range of its products. The Adidas brand name offers a wide range of products and with the establishment of Adidas Concept stores or speciality stores the the target market is now narrowed down.

Adidas is indeed a leaders in the area of customer loyalty with their legendary products retailed at affordable and standard prices. Adidas uses their many stores to attract their target market. The atmosphere at the Adidas store is reviewed to be cutting edge and sporty. With their use of attractive colors and even scents customers are lured in and provides them with the feeling of being athletic. The associates are very informative, detailing every aspect of the product of interest and outfitted with either very athletic and urban fresh Adidas wear from head to toe. Establishing store in highly populated and urban shopping area for example Soho in New York plays into the marketing mix and helps to produce revenue. Despite the relationship Adidas had established with sporting goods companies, establishing stores like the concept store in Soho New York provides the company to distribute and retail limited edition products and also distribute a wider range of product that sporting good retailer typical would not be interested in selling for instance basic apparel like jeans and coats.

Ch.6 Consumer Decision Making

The Adidas label is recognized world wide and appeals especially to those who are brand conscious or particular about using quality products. Understanding consumer behavior and the way they think are extremely import factors to consider before putting your product out on the market. Understanding Consumers first comes with the task of identifying what is known as a 'Need Recognition'.  Through research Adidas is able to understand and identify the needs of its consumers thus offering a wide range of products distributed internationally that caters to those needs. No matter what the product maybe, Adidas ensures that all products are made to satisfy the needs and wants of consumers.


Consumer wants and need are not the only factors that Adidas considers. Culture and values are also taken in consideration by Adidas. Cultural backgrounds influence the Consumer Decision Making process because consumers of a distinct background tend to have similar needs and identical consumption patterns.  It is Adidas' job to adapt to the various surrounding and to ever evolving and changing needs of  consumer.


Adidas tries to take considerations of all these factors because once they appeal to the different stimuli it makes the consumer decision making process even easier.