While Nike is moving beyond its exclusive arrangement with
Portland-based ad agency Wieden & Kennedy, Adidas' longtime
agency, London-based Leagas Delaney, is opening an office in
Portland to service Adidas' U.S. account. Adidas only spent $4M
on U.S. advertising in the first nine months of '94, compared to
Nike's $108M, according to Competitive Media Reporting. But,
despite the advertising gap, Adidas captured 10% of the American
sports shoe market verses Nike's 33%. According to ADVERTISING
AGE's Dagmar Mussey, Leagas' opening of an office in Portland
"indicates Adidas' desire to regain its supremacy in the U.S.
market, where it led the sports shoe category in the early
'80's." Adidas will drop Team One, the agency that had handled
advertising in the U.S. only. Adidas Chair/CEO Robert Louis-
Dreyfus: "It will take another two years until Adidas is as
healthy as rivals Nike or Reebok" (ADVERTISING AGE, 2/13).
WIEDENING GAP? Wieden & Kennedy are expected to align with
McCann-Erickson Worldwide to pitch for Nike's ad campaigns in the
Asia-Pacific area and Japan, and they may join for a March pitch
for Eastern Europe. According to AD AGE's Jeff Jensen, Nike "has
grown frustrated" with Wieden & Kennedy's expansion efforts and
told the agency it will have to work with other agencies on work
outside the U.S. Nike's international advertising is currently
handled by Weiden's Portland and Amsterdam offices (AD AGE,
2/13).
