The top priorities for Adidas remain stick-and-ball sports, but the company has created a "strong track record with lifestyle products, such as off-court casual sneakers," according to Matthew Kish of the PORTLAND BUSINESS JOURNAL. Adidas Senior VP/Brand Kate Ridley said, "We want to help athletes and we don't just help them when they're on the field or they're in their game. We also want to help them in their life and in their world." Kish noted the brand's "highly publicized deal with Beyoncé, which was announced in April, is one example." Ridley: "More and more we just see the opportunity to connect popular culture with sport." Ridley will continue to "build on the core Adidas business strategy, which is equal parts focused on speed, key cities and open-source, or collaboration with partners like Beyoncé." Adidas now has about 100 apparel deals with D-I schools, and Ridley said that her focus is on "deepening its work with existing partners, not adding to the list." She added, "We’re focused on the quality of those relationships more so than expansion" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/16).
