2023-11-26 10:18:54
Nike y Adidas They are sports brands hegemonic worldwide. Their rivalry could be compared to that of other antagonistic couples in the history of marketing, read Coca-Cola or Pepsi, PlayStation or Xbox and, at a more local level, Cola Cao or Nesquik. According to the specialized consulting firm SGI Europe, the signature of the ‘swoosh’ (whistle) and the three bands with They alone distribute 43% of the market pieat the rate of 27,4% Nikeand the 15,3% Adidas. And at a far, far distance away other companies such as Skechers (5.8%), VF Corp, the Vans (3.4%), New Balance (3.2%), Puma (2.9%), Asics (2.6%), Anta, the Chinese ‘Nike’ (1.6%), Crocs (1.3%) and Under Armor (1%).
At the end of last year Nike I had only checked in sneakers -70% of the sales of the group in which it is also included Converse– 24,222 million euros, 9% than the previous year. Even in this pandemic year, with million-dollar losses in the first quarter, expects to exceed 780 million pairs produced in 2019. Adidas, which also adds Reebok Since its acquisition in 2006, it had income only in sports shoes of 13,521 million6% more than the previous year, with a production of 443 million pairs.
And so they have both been competing since their birth, although The history of Adidas began long before. The company that today employs 59,000 workers around the world, was born in 1924 in the heart of Europe, in the interwar era. For the first time Governments began to worry about the physical condition of the population (for fear that they would not be in healthy conditions before the arrival of another war conflict). Health and outdoor physical exercise are on the global agenda.
The brothers Rudolf and Adolf Dassler
That was the motivation that led to the German brothers Rudolf and Adolf ‘Adi’ Dassler to get to work. After returning from the front, in laundry room at his mother’s house They designed the shoes for new athletes. His models immediately became popular, and he himself Jesse Owens used the brand when He won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.which catapulted the brandwhich after the Second World War was already selling 200,000 pairs a year.
At the end of the 40s the brothers separated, Adolf stayed Adidasy Rudolf founded Puma (are ‘Suede’ model became very popular in the 1968 Mexico Olympicsand they became the black power symbol when Tommie Smith y John Carlosgold and bronze from the USA in the 200 meter dash event, celebrated their victory on the podium high fist).
Despite Adidas currently sells less than Nike globallyis still considered one of the companies most reputable in the world. In Spain, for example, Adidas continues to invoice morealthough in his ‘home’, Germanyand in other countries of the Old Continent Nike has already given the ‘sorpasso’ surpassing Adidas. According to data from the American giant of the second half of 2019, The brand is number one in key cities such as Barcelona, London, Paris, Berlin and Milan.
Enemies in sports sponsorship
Adidas and Nike also compete in the sponsorship of football sports clubs. The German group dresses more European teams, 22 in totalamong them Real Madrid, Osasuna and Celta, as well as Chelsea, Southampton, Bayern, Milan, Lyon and Marseille, among others. Nike sponsors 21 clubssuch as FC Barcelona, Almería, Athletic, Atlético, Real Sociedad, Málaga, Arsenal, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Hertha Berlin, Werder Bremen, Freiburg, Juventus, Inter, Montpellier or PSG, to name a few.
In addition to being reference for athletes, footballers and basketball players (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a fan of Adidas Superstar in 1969), the Adidas made the leap into music in 1986when the hiphoppas Run DMC They paid homage to them with the single ‘My Adidas’. During a concert at Madison Square Garden in July, the rappers invited the audience to show off their shoes with the three bands and At the end of the ‘show’ the sports firm extended them a contract worth one million dollars. An idyll had been born between music and the sports that survive to this day.
The brand he swallowed Reebok in 2006 for $3.8 billion, although in recent years the numbers have not been as good as those desired by Adidas, which is considering selling it, as published this October by the German magazine ‘Manager Magazin’. Among those interested in staying with Reebok, the North American VF Corporation (Vans, North Face) and the Chinese Anta.
Limited and iconic editions
The key to Adidas positioning In recent years it has been the retro market, reissuing old models or the most iconic ones. The brand has some 1,200 references, and half bear the ‘Originals’ seal. Almost every season Adidas releases reissues. It has been doing it since 2013, with the new life for your Stan Smith white leather t-shirtsto which one of the best players in the history of the Davis Cup lent his name in 1978. Stanley Roger Smith (South Carolina, December 14, 1946), which is the name of the legendary American tennis player, continues to give its image to the brand in what represents, without a doubt, one of the longest collaboration agreements in the history of sports. Today there are 25 variants of the Stan Smith (Adidas’ best-selling sneakers, with more than 45 million).
The German brand also likes special and limited editions, which sell out as soon as they come out. This is the case recent of some models from the ‘The Mandalorian’ collection of ‘Star Wars’, and the ‘Ghost Smashers’Reebok’s latest ‘ghostbusters’, which came out just a few weeks ago and are now only available for resale.
Adidas has also had luxury collaborations with Prada and with rappers like Kanye West o Snoop Dogg. And designers like Alexander McQueen They have been inspired by the Stan Smith.
A quick upstart
Nike, which today has 75,000 workers Worldwide, It came to the market long after Adidasbut he immediately caught up with her. The Beaverton, Oregon-based company was founded January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sportsby Bill Bowerman y Phil Knightand officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971. Her name borrows that of the goddess of victory from Greek mythology.
At first, athletics was the great driving force of the brand. One of its iconic models are the Nike Cortez (1972), the legendary running shoes with which Forrest Gump went around the world. Then they came other sports, such as football and basketballthe fact that has brought more joy to the brand. After flirting with Nike Blazer (1973)what do I bring George ‘The Iceman’ Gervinand the Nike Force 1 (1982)the goose that lays the golden eggs named after the legendary Chicago Bulls scout Michael Jordan.
For him, the Nike Air Jordan, tall boots with clean cuts and an air chamber. Were red and blackthey were worth 65 dollars and the NBA banned them because “they weren’t white enough”. Jordan continued using them anyway and Nike paid every fine without question. The company already had its story beyond the shoe, its “emotional connection”, were a symbol of racial pride. The fine became the best advertising campaign and helped to strengthen the legend of the player, who today continues to pocket 100 million a year in royalties. The agreement, of course, benefits Nike, which adds 3,000 million in profits each year for the line dedicated to the player.
You can see the Air Jordan spots, from 1986 to 2020, here:
But, Can Nike live forever off Jordan? For now, yes, last May the Nike Air Jordan used and signed by the legendary player in 1985 were auctioned at Sotheby’s for $560,000. In addition, luxury brands have joined this fruitful marriage, such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Balenciaga or Fendi.
Y Dior has just tuned the first model of the Nike Air Jordan in a version of 1,500 euros that can only be purchased -12 times more expensive- on the internet. According to ‘Vogue’ they are the favorite sneakers of ‘influencers’.
Converse, the benchmark of ‘cool’ style
The same ‘trendsetters’ are those who do not hesitate to combine their entire wardrobe with Conversehistorical brand of which It is estimated that 900,000 pairs of its ‘All Star’ model have been sold, and? Nike acquired in a masterstroke in 2005. He model is today a benchmark of modernity and styleas the US vice president-elect has demonstrated Kamala Harriswho has rocked the country with these sneakers during the election campaign.
Boots with canvas uppers and contrasting rubber toes and soles have been in elementary schools, high schools, design studios, concerts and all the streets of the planet for decades. They were born in 1917 to play basketball, led by Marquis ConverseNew Hampshire businessman. In 1923 they changed their name to Chuck Taylor All-Star., that was the name of the Indiana basketball player who used them and who toured the country explaining the benefits of the new shoe. He is responsible for the lateral circle that ‘protects’, or rather, adorns the ankle. His gold debut came at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where the American basketball team wore them. And the rest is history.
In the preparation of this report they have also participated Eva Dominguez (creative direction) and Silver Larrosa (illustrations).
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