adidas Launches U.S. Basketball Campaign Based Around NBA

adidas today is “launching its biggest-ever basketball push in the U.S. ... trying to capitalize” on its 11-year, $400M NBA sponsorship, according to the WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Esterl & Kang. adidas Brand President & CEO Erich Stamminger said that basketball “ranks alongside soccer and running when it comes to adidas’ top priorities.” He added that it is “quite possible that the company’s basketball-related sales, which are growing at a double-digit clip, will top soccer down the road.” Sole Collector sneaker reviewer Ernest Kim gave adidas credit “for rolling out five signature basketball shoes this season,” those for Rockets F Tracy McGrady, Spurs F Tim Duncan, T’Wolves F Kevin Garnett, Pistons G Chauncey Billups and Wizards G Gilbert Arenas. Kim: “It’s the strongest crop of shoes in years.” But Kim indicated that he is “hearing the most buzz for Nike’s Zoom LeBron IV” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/16). The first TV ad in the campaign, titled “It Takes 5ive,” features all five aforementioned players, while a series of ads breaking over the next six months will feature each of the players individually. The campaign emphasizes the importance of the team over the individual (THE DAILY).

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AGENCY:	TBWA/Chiat/Day
CREATIVE DIRECTOR:	John Patroulis
PRODUCTION COMPANY:	Park Pictures
DIRECTOR:	Ringan Ledwidge
PRODUCER:	Calabrese, Golub, Rousseau

ACTING LOCALLY: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL’s John Lombardo reports adidas, in addition to its league-wide deal, also has 15 NBA team sponsorships, some of which “include a new ‘store-within-a-store’ concept that will sell both NBA-licensed merchandise and other company apparel.” Some clubs have the adidas-NBA stores “within their arenas.” NBA officials said that Reebok had no team deals to go along with its NBA sponsorship, which adidas took over this offseason. While the company “sold hats and apparel in-arena, Reebok did not have the shop-within-the-retail-shop concept that Adidas is planning.” Beginning in December, adidas will start selling “custom-designed, co-branded shoes for each of the league’s 30 teams compared to a league-branded shoe sold by Reebok” (SBJ, 10/16 issue).