What I knew before visiting Adidas:
Intro and Expectations
As a lifelong sports fan, I of course have knowledge of Adidas and their brand. They occupied the same realm as Nike and Under Armour, providing performance-enabling gear through detailed engineering and athlete input. I know that they were particularly active in the soccer and basketball markets, having made the jerseys for a variety of teams in those sports. As I prepared for the Adidas visit, I expected to see a wide-sprawling, inspiring campus filled with monuments towards their innovation, and a relaxed work environment that was proud of the product and the people working on it. While I have never personally been a big Adidas guy, I was expecting to go a campus that would make me second-guess my allegiances.
Adidas Visit
Adidas’ campus was located smack-dab in the center of a Portland street, occupying the border between the city and the suburbs. Located on both sides of the street, one can tell it to be Adidas’ campus by the giant pair of white Adidas shoes on the left side of the road. While the campus was significant, it was not the sprawling metropolis Nike appeared to be. After a stop in the Adidas store we were met by Rich Roberson, a University of Maryland alumnus who currently works as a Patent Counsel for the Adidas legal team.
Roberson told us of his various legal battles he has fought for on behalf of Adidas against companies like Nike and Under Armour, some of which lasting the better part of a decade. He told us about how Adidas occupies a “lifestyle brand” that many other similar companies do not think to establish. Adidas is the owner of the Kanye West “Yeezy” brand, and they work on establishing a brand with him at the forefront. Adidas also works hard to sign athletes who are currently at the top of their game. They recently signed James Harden to an over $200 million endorsement deal and have in the past made serious runs at players such as Michael Jordan, whom Roberson sadly admits they lost to Nike.
Adidas is a culture that is built around the Three C's: Creativity, Confidence, and Collaboration. Such examples of this comes purely in their product. For example, Adidas has been championing creativity through Futurecraft 4D shoes which use 3D printing technology to form the soles. I got to hold this printed sole and I felt the effects of intense creative thinking and innovation that go into making the best product for athletes. The Collaboration is evident in the Yeezy brand and the Pharrell brand, both of which stem from rappers, who are not usually the first people you think of when you think of sportswear or West Coast innovation. This is a smart way for Adidas to crack into more of the mainstream pop culture world. By sponsoring deals with rappers, Adidas enters a whole different market and can show off their brand versatility.
Roberson led us on a tour around Adidas’ campus, from their impressive gym which was laden with treadmills and squat racks, to their Shoe Creation studio. This studio was designed for Adidas employees from departments outside of engineering to get a better understanding of what goes into making a shoe. This was established to give employees perspective on what exactly their main goal is, it prevents disconnection from the product. After we made our stop at this studio, we went to where the engineers work. There was a replica basketball court in the middle of a typical office floor. The court was wired with all sorts of machines and gadgets in an attempt to measure the professional athletes exact measurements and statistics applied in their movements. It was interesting to think that at certain moments professional athletes were in this exact room, practicing their craft. On the back wall I saw the names “Harden, Wiggins, Lillard, Gay” scribbled on a whiteboard, implying that they had been there not long prior. It was always in Adidas’ best interest to create products for the athlete first. By bringing them physically to the location to collect numbers, Adidas proved this belief to be one that was true to their heart.
Post-Visit Actions
Maybe it was witnessing the overwhelming magnitude of Nike’s campus the next day, but Adidas’ North American headquarters did not seem to be quite what I had expected. There was a soccer field and some certainly interesting monuments and details, but the headquarters was not nearly the monument to athletes that I had anticipated. It was fairly contained, only taking up about a block or two, which surprised me considering that Adidas is such a recognizable brand. Compared with some of the other headquarters on this trip, Adidas’ was quite small. Maybe it was all part of a strategy to not get too big for their britches, if it was, it’s been a successful one, as Adidas is the #2 sports retailer in the world.
Adidas has been rising in annual revenue over the past decade, and their ability to think outside the box and innovate is a big reason why. After I connected with Roberson on LinkedIn, I further thought about how Adidas has managed to come back from near bankruptcy to reclaim a large chunk of the industry. I chalk it up to their bold decision to move into the Yeezy brand and begin sponsoring star athletes such as James Harden. Additionally, being a soccer brand at heart, the rise of North American soccer interest has likely helped their brand as well.
Key Takeaways
- They are an athletic apparel giant, however I do not own any of their clothes.
- They primarily function in the soccer markets, making jerseys and cleats.
- They recently signed James Harden to a massive shoe deal.
Intro and Expectations
As a lifelong sports fan, I of course have knowledge of Adidas and their brand. They occupied the same realm as Nike and Under Armour, providing performance-enabling gear through detailed engineering and athlete input. I know that they were particularly active in the soccer and basketball markets, having made the jerseys for a variety of teams in those sports. As I prepared for the Adidas visit, I expected to see a wide-sprawling, inspiring campus filled with monuments towards their innovation, and a relaxed work environment that was proud of the product and the people working on it. While I have never personally been a big Adidas guy, I was expecting to go a campus that would make me second-guess my allegiances.
Adidas Visit
Adidas’ campus was located smack-dab in the center of a Portland street, occupying the border between the city and the suburbs. Located on both sides of the street, one can tell it to be Adidas’ campus by the giant pair of white Adidas shoes on the left side of the road. While the campus was significant, it was not the sprawling metropolis Nike appeared to be. After a stop in the Adidas store we were met by Rich Roberson, a University of Maryland alumnus who currently works as a Patent Counsel for the Adidas legal team.
Roberson told us of his various legal battles he has fought for on behalf of Adidas against companies like Nike and Under Armour, some of which lasting the better part of a decade. He told us about how Adidas occupies a “lifestyle brand” that many other similar companies do not think to establish. Adidas is the owner of the Kanye West “Yeezy” brand, and they work on establishing a brand with him at the forefront. Adidas also works hard to sign athletes who are currently at the top of their game. They recently signed James Harden to an over $200 million endorsement deal and have in the past made serious runs at players such as Michael Jordan, whom Roberson sadly admits they lost to Nike.
Adidas is a culture that is built around the Three C's: Creativity, Confidence, and Collaboration. Such examples of this comes purely in their product. For example, Adidas has been championing creativity through Futurecraft 4D shoes which use 3D printing technology to form the soles. I got to hold this printed sole and I felt the effects of intense creative thinking and innovation that go into making the best product for athletes. The Collaboration is evident in the Yeezy brand and the Pharrell brand, both of which stem from rappers, who are not usually the first people you think of when you think of sportswear or West Coast innovation. This is a smart way for Adidas to crack into more of the mainstream pop culture world. By sponsoring deals with rappers, Adidas enters a whole different market and can show off their brand versatility.
Roberson led us on a tour around Adidas’ campus, from their impressive gym which was laden with treadmills and squat racks, to their Shoe Creation studio. This studio was designed for Adidas employees from departments outside of engineering to get a better understanding of what goes into making a shoe. This was established to give employees perspective on what exactly their main goal is, it prevents disconnection from the product. After we made our stop at this studio, we went to where the engineers work. There was a replica basketball court in the middle of a typical office floor. The court was wired with all sorts of machines and gadgets in an attempt to measure the professional athletes exact measurements and statistics applied in their movements. It was interesting to think that at certain moments professional athletes were in this exact room, practicing their craft. On the back wall I saw the names “Harden, Wiggins, Lillard, Gay” scribbled on a whiteboard, implying that they had been there not long prior. It was always in Adidas’ best interest to create products for the athlete first. By bringing them physically to the location to collect numbers, Adidas proved this belief to be one that was true to their heart.
Post-Visit Actions
Maybe it was witnessing the overwhelming magnitude of Nike’s campus the next day, but Adidas’ North American headquarters did not seem to be quite what I had expected. There was a soccer field and some certainly interesting monuments and details, but the headquarters was not nearly the monument to athletes that I had anticipated. It was fairly contained, only taking up about a block or two, which surprised me considering that Adidas is such a recognizable brand. Compared with some of the other headquarters on this trip, Adidas’ was quite small. Maybe it was all part of a strategy to not get too big for their britches, if it was, it’s been a successful one, as Adidas is the #2 sports retailer in the world.
Adidas has been rising in annual revenue over the past decade, and their ability to think outside the box and innovate is a big reason why. After I connected with Roberson on LinkedIn, I further thought about how Adidas has managed to come back from near bankruptcy to reclaim a large chunk of the industry. I chalk it up to their bold decision to move into the Yeezy brand and begin sponsoring star athletes such as James Harden. Additionally, being a soccer brand at heart, the rise of North American soccer interest has likely helped their brand as well.
Key Takeaways
- Reinvention is key to refreshment
- Adidas is more focused on the lifestyle
- Sponsoring celebrities is a key to success too. It shows versatility.