Identifying Adidas Group Strategies

The Adidas group have and continue to use a range of strategies that have allowed them to become of the most famous and successful brands of all time, and not only within the sector of sport. The group detail three main, clear strategic choices that they attempt to focus on - these being Speed, Cities and Open Source. 

They detail ‘Creating the New’ as the headline for their next five-year strategic business plan. They define this as the attitude that will lead them into the future. The sporting goods industry is growing faster than most other industries, a trend the Adidas group forecast to continue. They believe 'sport is central to every culture and society and is core to an individual’s health and happiness.'  This of course is good news for the brand as  it is their core competency. They also translate this competency in sports into streetwear and fashion because 'sport is an attitude and a lifestyle.' Everything the group do is rooted in sports.

At the epicentre of the groups plan to ‘Create the New’ are their brands, which enable them to connect with their consumers. This means the success of the groups brands defines the success of our business as a whole, though this should not be difficult to achieve due to the strong identities they have established in sport. Through the groups unique portfolio of leading sports brands, they are able to cater to the needs and desires of more consumers than any of their competitors, allowing them to connect with them more than ever before. To achieve this, their plan is based on three strategic choices:

• Speed: To become the first true fast sports company: Fast in satisfying consumer needs, fast in internal decision making.

• Cities: Identification of six key cities in which they want to grow share of mind, share of market and share of trend.

• Open source: To be the first sports brand that invites athletes, consumers and partners to be part of their brands.

'We are closest to every consumer with our unique brand portfolio. In the future, we will not only talk to and talk with our consumers. We will be the first sports company that invites athletes, consumers and partners to be part of its brands. We will open up so that they can co-create the future together with us.'

Eric Liedtke, Executive Board Member Responsible for Global Brands.

'We are living in a fast-changing world. Only what is new is relevant to the consumer. Therefore, we have to relentlessly focus on ‘creating the new’ for our consumers. And we have to constantly re-invent ourselves as an organisation to lead the change in our industry. Going forward, speed will be a key competitive advantage for us as we transform the adidas Group into the first true fast sports company.'

Herbert Hainer, Adidas Group CEO.