Abstract
Adidas has many competitors, and they are Nike, Puma, and others. All these businesses specialize in offering female athletic clothing, and the task for them is to beat the rivals. One of the existing communication strategies is to rely on a transformational appeal focusing on non-product-related benefits (Kotler and Keller, 2012, p. 484). “A women’s campaign fully led by women” is a suitable example of this strategy. In addition to that, the pull strategy for Adidas is that female clothing is made of recycled polyester, nylon, and others, which highlights sustainability and attracts customers. Adidas differentiates its communication by highlighting “Own the Game” strategy that emphasizes that people are responsible for their lives. “Impossible is Nothing” message is found in female clothing advertising.
Introduction
The given presentation focuses on Adidas, a UK-based fashion clothing company. This organization has a rich history and is famous for being connected with sport. According to its official website, the organization has produced 465 million apparel pieces, while its net sales account for €19,844 billion (Adidas, no date a). The company focuses on customers of all ages, gender, and nationalities because the only characteristic feature is their love of sport. Since the current presentation focuses on female athletic clothing, it is evident that women living in the United Kingdom represent the target market. According to Adidas (2019, para. 8), women represent a constantly growing market share, meaning that marketing efforts should be directed to reach this group.
Context Analysis
Adidas has many competitors, and they are Nike, Puma, and others. All these businesses specialize in offering female athletic clothing, and the task for them is to beat their rivals. One of the existing communication strategies is to rely on a transformational appeal focusing on non-product-related benefits (Kotler and Keller, 2012, p. 484). “A women’s campaign fully led by women” is a suitable example of this strategy. In addition to that, the pull strategy for Adidas is that female clothing is made of recycled polyester, nylon, and others, which highlights sustainability and attracts customers. Adidas differentiates its communication by highlighting the “Own the Game” strategy that emphasizes that people are responsible for their lives. The “Impossible is Nothing” message is found in female clothing advertising.
Strategies
Creative Strategy
Adidas draws attention to social issues and tries to address them in its marketing strategies. Supporting the Black Lives Matter movement is a suitable example of how the company implements it (Stanciu, 2021, para. 33). Since women represent the target market and they are with diverse backgrounds, it is not a surprise that the business addressed this issue. The chart on the slide demonstrates that the current media strategy is represented by a Twitter post. This strategy appeared in 2020 when the social issue was the most topical, and the strategy did not require any financial resources to be implemented.
Current Promotional Mix
The company relies on above the line communications in its promotional mix. This issue stipulates that a large audience is the main focus. The tweet from the previous slide is a suitable example because it addresses the aspect that is of significance for the entire country. One can also suggest that Adidas focused on the issue to establish strong public relations. In addition to that, the “Impossible is Nothing” campaign is appropriate because this powerful and creative message provides customers with adrenaline and positive emotions (Bhasin, 2019, para. 11). That is why customers tend to associate themselves with the brand to create pleasant experiences.
Creative Strategy
Since women are Adidas’ target market, it is not a surprise that the company has social media accounts that are only dedicated to females. Through them, Adidas does not only advertise its products but also contributes to a better world and promotes essential phenomena. In particular, the business advocates for the empowerment of women, diversity, and equality. That is why it created a female athletic clothing collection of large sizes in 2019 (Stanciu, 2021, para. 52). This example demonstrates that weight was not a barrier for women to involve in sports activity and associate themselves with the Adidas brand.
Current Promotional Mix
It is worth admitting that Adidas relies on multiple social media sites, which allows the company to cover as many customers as possible. Above the line communication promotes brand awareness, and the target market understands that the company is not only about selling clothes. The creative strategy from the previous slide demonstrates that the company draws attention to a significant social issue that is discrimination of women based on their weight. Consequently, Adidas’ strategy is the message to the entire market that the company is against such social problems.
BTL Promotions
Below the line promotions are also implemented by Adidas to target more specific market segments. Sales discounts are a suitable example, and Adidas offered almost a 50% discount for an innovative sports bra (Adidas, 2021). The example with the women’s clothes of large size reveals how the company welcomes its public relations. Furthermore, this strategy is useful to reach a specific group of the target market. Finally, Adidas is actively involved in charity activities, and its pledge to donate a percentage of their sales to charity proves this claim (Jones, 2021, para. 1).
TTL Communication
One can state that through the line communication is underrepresented by Adidas. Social media sites are appropriate resources for this approach because they allow posting information for a broad audience and offering direct services to narrow groups or even individuals. However, the company’s Facebook account is not active to claim that this requirement is met. In particular, the previous post was published in 2018, meaning that new information has not been offered for more than three years (Adidas Women, 2018). Consequently, the company should address this issue to improve its through the line communication.
Social Presence and Profile Strategy
Even though some drawbacks were found regarding Adidas’ Facebook account, the business is present in other social media. In particular, the company’s accounts in YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram are active, while the latter gathers almost 26 million followers (Stanciu, 2021, para. 61). With this, it is necessary to mention that the company’s profile strategy relies on credibility, experience, and sustainability (Adidas, no date b). These issues contribute to the fact that customers are aware of the brand and the benefits that it offers, which makes individuals associate themselves with the company.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to state that the marketing activity of Adidas is productive because customers the business explicitly displays what benefits customers can obtain from associating with it. This approach increases brand awareness, while attention to social issues and essential events leads to better public relations. However, insufficient activity in the Facebook account is a drawback that should be mitigated to promote more effective through the line communication. In addition to that, Adidas has a few essential competitors, and it is necessary to overcome them. Thus, an objective for 2022 is to increase brand loyalty among customers by 15%. If achieved, this outcome will provide Adidas with significant financial and image benefits.
Reference List
Adidas. (no date a). Profile. Web.
Adidas. (no date b). Strategy. Web.
Adidas. (2019). Annual report 2019. Web.
Adidas. (2021). Don’t rest alphaskin bra. Web.
Adidas Women. (2018). Kickstart your New Year fitness with FREE classes at Adidas Studio LDN. Web.
Bhasin, H. (2018). Marketing mix of Adidas. Web.
Glossing, E. (2021). ‘A women’s campaign fully led by women’ for Adidas. Web.
Jones, S. (2021). Sports giant Adidas sign up to Manchester United star Juan Mata’s Common Goal initiative by pledging to donate one percent of their global sales from footballs until 2023. Web.
Kotler, P. and Keller, K. L. (2012). Marketing management. 14th edn. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.
Stanciu, S. (2021). 5 key takeaways from Adidas’ social media strategy. Web.