How Adidas to benefit from IAAF event in Beijing?

Although Adidas has long been trapped in US market, which is proved by the fact that the brand fell to third place in retail sales of sports apparel and footwear last year, behind rivals Nike and Under Armour, its business in China is quite good. Adidas’s organic sales in Greater China was up 19.3% in second-quarter earnings, according to a news report on the Wall Street Journal.

As official sportswear sponsor of the IAAF, expect adidas to have a very visible presence in both the Bird’s Nest Stadium and the surrounding city of Beijing during the forthcoming IAAF World Championships, which will be held in the Chinese capital from 22-30 August.

A proud Official IAAF Partner since 2008, adidas will gain traction through its many contracts with some of the world’s leading athletes and its kit deals with a number of key IAAF Member Federations.

The company known for their iconic 3-stripe logo will also gain a key presence as exclusive supplier of branded merchandise and will supply uniforms for the thousands of volunteers working at the championships.

To be so closely associated with such a major global sporting event as the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 has multiple benefits for adidas, according to Simon Millar, VP Marketing, Sport Performance & Sport Style, adidas China.

“We have a proud heritage of sports and helping athletes maximise their performance,” said Millar. “By partnering with the IAAF and sponsoring the World Championships, we are demonstrating and cementing our leadership in sports,” he added.

“As a long–term partner of the IAAF, we have a multiple-angle strategy for the upcoming World Championships. To reach consumers, we will activate our sponsorship rights and position adidas as the number one sports performance brand in the world.

“On the B2B (business-to-business) side, we will create a platform to showcase our brand with our most important business partners in China. We plan on leveraging our sponsorship rights as the partner of the World Championships to demonstrate to consumers that adidas is the number one sports performance brand in the world.”

Intimately involved with the IAAF

Product promotion will also form a central pillar to adidas’ IAAF World Championships strategy.

At the two previous editions in Daegu and Moscow, the company promoted their cutting edge adiZero and Energy Boost range of shoes and the recently launched Ultra Boost will be to the fore in Beijing.

“Ultra Boost is the best running shoe we have ever made,” added Millar. “Our revolutionary Boost technology is a game changer for the industry. We will leverage the World Championships to promote the new Ultra Boost Running shoe through a number of local consumer activation events.”

Among those will be a number of Boost running camps which will host track and field camps at key locations through the city and offer the opportunity to try different events like the pole vault and high jump, and also sample the new Ultra Boost Running shoe.

In addition adidas will also be developing an IAAF range that will include apparel, hardware and accessories, which will include an adidas-branded and non-branded range.

Consumers can purchase these products at adidas retail stores (Sanlitun Brand Centre, Shanghai Brand Centre and the adidas store in Wangfujiong), via e-commerce, at market street booths, selling points within the Bird’s Nest stadium as well as the Kerry Hotel in Beijing, the sponsor hotel of the IAAF.

Adidas also hope to use their sponsorship to further strengthen their foothold in the increasingly vibrant Chinese market.

Millar explained that China has witnessed a growing increase in sports participation, with more people discovering the health and lifestyle benefits of regular exercise and fitness.

“China is an important market for adidas globally,” he added. “Gyms and running clubs have grown in popularity over the years and a number of marathons in China had increased to over 50. 

“These trends are encouraging for adidas. As a leading sports brand, we’re committed to developing sports in China and have focused on helping athletes perform at their very best. As more people take up sport in China, we’ve also strengthened our position across all key categories.

“The 2015 IAAF World Championships will provide adidas with another platform to demonstrate our leadership in sports and rally the city and people of Beijing to go ‘all in’.”

Taken from IAAF