Before we leave the Beijing Olympics for the ancient news that it is, one more thing about the branding that went on there. To continue on what turned out to be this week’s unofficial theme of brands and brand-building, I was reflecting on how two global brand-name shoe companies, Adidas and Nike, approached this enormous marketing opportunity. What did they do? —They spent untold amounts of R&D time and money developing specialty shoes to be featured at the Beijing Games. Nike unveiled 28 pairs, Adidas 27. And both companies outfitted thousands and thousands of Olympic athletes with their new designs, free of charge. Here’s the kicker: most of these shoes will never make it to the mainline consumer—many never seeing the light of day in retail stores; they will only be sold online. So if neither of these global companies expect to sell many equestrian, rowing, or wushu shoes, why all the fuss?
The focus of Adidas and Nike, similar to what I wrote in my Sept. 9th post, was not on showcasing themselves to the world---their focus was on the Chinese people. Both companies are salivating over the opening of this market, with its more than one billion pairs of feet to shoe. The key driver behind their Olympic campaigns: both companies claim inventiveness as a brand attribute. They want to use the Games—this massive attention-focusing platform—to show how inventive and comprehensive they are, with the message: We’re are number one for your feet, no matter what you do or how you play.
The focus of Adidas and Nike, similar to what I wrote in my Sept. 9th post, was not on showcasing themselves to the world---their focus was on the Chinese people. Both companies are salivating over the opening of this market, with its more than one billion pairs of feet to shoe. The key driver behind their Olympic campaigns: both companies claim inventiveness as a brand attribute. They want to use the Games—this massive attention-focusing platform—to show how inventive and comprehensive they are, with the message: We’re are number one for your feet, no matter what you do or how you play.
Given what little I know about how much it costs to design, test, produce, market, and pay the athlete endorsement contracts for all these shoes, it remains to be seen if their gamble was worth the investment. But it will be fun for us to watch the results over the next few years and see who will ends up dominating this market and wins The Battle for China’s Sole.
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