Background Study on the Brand
Adidas is a name that stands for proficiency in all parts of the world. Adi Dassler's thought was straightforward as it was splendid, to give each competitor the most ideal tools. Everything started in 1920, when Dassler made his first shoes utilising the few materials accessible after the First World War. Today, the adidas Group has well more than 38,000 workers around the world, including a group of creators, item designers and specialists for biomechanics and material innovation (Adidas Group, 2018). The Adidas Group is currently known as Europe's greatest provider of athletic footwear and games attire.
A brand identity is a critical piece of how an organisation presents itself to its consumers as it gives noticeability and recognition. The name Adidas came to fruition as Adolf had named his company after his nickname Adi and his last name Dassler. Dassler began utilising three stripes to recognise its footwear in 1967. At the point when Adidas ventured into the leisure markets, its acclaimed trefoil logo was produced. Its three-leaf shape is intended to imply diversity among the different continents (History of Adidas, 2018). The three stripes logo Adidas utilies for brandishing sporting items today frame the shape of a mountain, which speaks to the difficulties athletes confront. It was not until 1974 that Adidas got related with the slogan, "Impossible is Nothing" which originated from a statement by Muhammad Ali, a legend of boxing. Erich Stamminger, an individual from the Executive Board of Adidas-Salomon AG, depicts the slogan as a state of mind that is known and shared by all competitors around the globe.
The principle tangible part of Adidas is their products. Adidas items are partitioned into two classes, which are sports performance and brands. From the sports division, Adidas take into account individuals of any age with a wide range of equipment from a wide number of sports. From apparels, to accessories and shoes, Adidas trademarks are the absolute best in quality. Taking a gander at the brands point of view, Adidas introduced Adidas Originals. The Originals speak to the innovative culture of Adidas and keep on leading the path as the spearheading sportswear brand for the street. Besides, Adidas' particular 3 stripes that can be found on the packaging of all items sets them apart from other products as consumers would immediately recognise the brand at one glance.
Moving on to the intangible aspect would be Adidas’ notoriety for being a quality mid-priced brand. The organisation has been working in this market for more than 80 years and has a reputation for giving its clients high caliber and innovative items. Clients are more faithful to an organisation with a solid brand positioning and quality items. Adidas gives both at a fairly sensible cost. Adding on, Adidas’ core value of having a diverse brand portfolio adds to the positive outlook people have on the brand. Adidas as an association comprise of workers from 80 distinct countries and has been viewed as the benchmark for a pleased LGBT-accommodating organisation (Adidas, 2018). Adidas also ensures a diverse representation of cultures with their brand ambassadors.
Three Reasons why the Brand Suits Me
Adidas in all its glitz and glamour have always found that their best fashion tactic has been to disrupt the industry through simplicity. I find that my vision is fully aligned with this of Adidas. I have never believed in being flashy or loud as silence for me speaks louder than words. I find it very easy to dress in Adidas gear as it fits in with my way of living with simplicity. There’s never an overelaborate design on my Adidas shoes or shirts as I believe simplicity is an essential part of how I present myself.
Tina Turner once asked, what’s love got to do? In this case, love and passion has got everything to do with the brand. Adidas as a sports brand prides itself in how passionate their athletes are about their equipment and their sports. Relating it back to me, I personally find it crucial to love what you do. One of the main reasons why I chose to take up Communication as a degree is to protect the passion I have for writing. I chose not to adhere to the standards of society and instead focus on my passion and myself. Just as athletes who represent Adidas believe in their message, when I sport on Adidas gear, I am sending a message that I too believe in passion and love.
The Adidas brand certainly goes hand in hand with my sporting lifestyle. Personally, before purchasing a football boot, I would think about the quality, price and comfort. Adidas ticks the boxes of all the previously mentioned. I live an active lifestyle and play football on the regular. Ever since I was involved in the football scene, I always found myself in a pair of Adidas boots. The cutting of the shoe fits my feet to the core allowing me to execute the perfect technique in striking a football.
Three Significant Impacts of the Brand on Me
My first ever purchase of an Adidas item taught me a valuable lesson regarding the value of money. I was about 11 years old and was part of the school football team. I pestered my dad to get me this pair of red Adidas football boots. At that time, I had no consideration for the value of money. It cost us about RM 250 and the uproar it caused at home was massive. My family was not the wealthiest and RM 250 in 2007 was seen as an astronomical figure as compared to today. This resulted in me getting my first valuable lecture from my mother. Until today, I have only ever purchased 1 other shoe that cost more than RM 250.
Another great impact Adidas has made on me is regarding the importance of the environment. As of late, Adidas has built up a way to deal with water proficiency, quality and availability and are focused on consistently increasing the utilisation of more reusable materials in their production, items and stores (APICS, 2018). This activity has driven persistent change in their tasks. This prompted me taking my own particular initiatives at home. For instance, toward the end of the week, I gather whatever recyclable materials utilised at home and drive it down to the recycling centre.
The Adidas slogan “Impossible is Nothing” is something I can resonate with as I feel strongly about those words. Personally, I carry those words on the sleeve of my shirt when approaching anything. With effort shown, there is no telling how far an individual or a collective can go. Growing up and watching my favorite athletes live through this motto had always given me motivation to do the same.
Three Brand Building Activity Suggestions
For Adidas to better their global image, they could possibly look into hosting continental sports tournaments. These internal tournaments include football, tennis, track, basketball and baseball. For this to truly work, Adidas should target countries, which have lower visibility on the global sports picture such as South East Asian countries. Sports such as baseball have little exposure in these countries. By hosting these events, Adidas could increase the consumers interest in this sport and in return increase product sales related to baseball. Moreover, when it comes to the famous sports such as football and tennis, the talents these countries produce have little or no chance to showcase their talent on the world stage. Adidas could sponsor winners of these tournaments a chance to travel to Europe where they could compete with other world champions and give themselves a chance to test themselves in front of world scouts.
Another possible way to improve their brand could be to collaborate with another major brand to produce a product. Many companies have evolved for the better by forming strategic alliances with other stable companies. Adidas once tried to get into the digital market but their products did not take off and all wrist-worn efforts was removed (Digital Trends, 2017). Adidas should rejuvenate their efforts by partnering with Sony. Combining efforts, this product should attract interest from consumers from both parties. By redefining their approach, Adidas could make a return to the digital market. The new product could feature some of the same features and even add a built in mp3 feature which would take the product up a notch.
Another way for Adidas to improve their brand is to go hard on material sustainability. At this moment, Adidas have made efforts into making the environment a better place. Adidas effectively trimmed paper use by 38%, quit stocking plastic water bottles for gatherings and furthermore released ranges of clothes supporting material sustainability. All these efforts have been perceived well by the public. Adidas has proven that it is possible to produce products with material safer for the environment so the next step would be to make all their products environmental friendly. With all the environmental movements going around, Adidas are able to reduce reproduction costs and at the same time attract interest from environmental activists.