Nike vs. Adidas

Mitchell Earley Mr. Jackson ENGL 101 November 9, 2012 Nike vs. Adidas Nike and Adidas are two of the most popular sporting attires out in the clothing and equipment market. Both Nike and Adidas offer people and athletes a broad selection of great apparel and athletic equipment. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast Nike and Adidas companies in terms of headquarters, market focus, sponsorships, marketing, advertising, price, product, and its production.

Both Nike and Adidas are sportswear companies whose products throughout many parts of the world are very popular and have been the top two leading sport companies in the sport industry. Nike is an international American sportswear manufacturer. It was founded by Bill Bowerman in the year 1972 and the slogan is “Just Do It”. On the other hand, Adidas is a worldwide sportswear manufacturer based in Germany and founded by Adolf Dassler in 1949 and their slogan is “Impossible is Nothing”.

NIKE, INC. STRATEGIC CASE STUDY

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These two companies sell and offer a wide range of products for the customers and their products offered is mainly on sportswear for men and women. These companies also provide the customers varieties of footwear such as sports shoes, casual shoes, boots, sandals and stockings. While they are selling similar products, Nike products are more expensive than Adidas because all Nike brand has high and advance technology. Nike is firmly focused in the American market, although it has made its way into the international market fairly recently.

The company is also considered largely responsible for the frenzy of athlete sponsorship that the industry is known for today. All of this ties in with Nike's dominance of the advertising and marketing aspects of the business. On the other hand, Adidas has traditionally focused on the European market even though it is a well-known name in the rest of the world as well. This is mainly due to the company's affiliation with soccer. The company has recently taken steps to increase its marketing and advertising budget and has made moves into the ajor sports equipment and sportswear markets. Nike and Adidas have also been the top sponsors in the sport industry. Nike promotes its products by sponsorship agreements with celebrity athletes, professional teams, and college athletic teams. In contrast, Adidas sponsors professional soccer, tennis, and general athletics with mainly clothing. In terms of market focus, Retail is a key focus for Nike in connecting with consumers, both online and in store.

Adidas is in the European market focus because Europe is the birthplace of Adidas with a long tradition of domination in the marketplace. Nike has a more varied line-up of basketball shoes, running shoes, and cross-training products. Among the different brands under the Nike control are Umbro, Converse, Jordan, and Cole Haan. Adidas for most part currently offers products that are geared primarily towards the soccer, tennis, and general athletics markets. Among the companies in Adidas' control are Reebok, Taylor Made and Rockport.

Almost all of Nike’s products are outsourced to various countries in Asia, particularly Taiwan and Korea, which in turn outsource production to still other Asian countries, among them China, Indonesia and Vietnam. The company does have a home office in Beaverton Oregon and that is where Nike products are designed, developed, and marketed. Adidas recently adopted a similar approach with virtually all the design and development work being handled in Germany and production being outsourced to Asian countries as well.

This move has helped Adidas remain competitive in the industry and compete with Nike for the most part. In conclusion, Nike and Adidas are famous sport brands and which people usually tend to compare them to each other. Price is a vital factor that influences consumers to make the final decision. Nike and Adidas both show that they provide the same type of work, but a little different schemes and offers different products. The two are both very popular and they will both always be connected to one another due to product value, sales, and products produced.

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