The fall marketing strategies of adidas America and
Nike were the subjects of extensive features by Andy Dworkin
in Sunday's Portland OREGONIAN. adidas America spokesperson
Travis Gonzolez said that "there's a renewed feeling" that
the company has "found its way again," as it has "new
management, a new organizational structure and high hopes"
for its new shoe around Lakers G Kobe Bryant that hits
stores in November. The company has "decided to market the
brand as a whole, hoping to end a sometimes jumbled system
where different sports or different countries would have
different marketing campaigns." While adidas' own surveys
found that just 15% of U.S. consumers knew that Bryant was
an adidas endorser, the company "put together ... a 'secret
team' to create a new shoe" around the player's lifestyle,
"one that would appeal to customers who appreciate street
fashions." Three Audi designers enlisted by adidas created
a shoe that is "angular, almost boxy, and echoes the Audi TT
with its architectural lines." Bryant: "The shoe is fairly
different. My personality is simple, I'm more of a laid-
back guy." Additionally, the company "took a strange new
approach to dealing with retailers," as it told them to
"take it or leave it," and "even told the store chains how
many pairs of shoes they would get." adidas is making
110,000-125,000 pairs of the $125 shoe for sale to U.S.
adults (Portland OREGONIAN, 10/22).
SHOX REPORT: Meanwhile, Dworkin wondered "how many
people will be drawn to" the new NikeShox, as Nike has "put
out some publicity about the shoes, but so far a huge buzz
hasn't built around" the product. Retailers have said that
"mainly hard-core athletes, especially runners, seem
interested in the shoes." But Dworkin noted that Nike is
"doing a slow roll-out on Shox" (Portland OREGONIAN, 10/22).
