Professor Adidas

In my last blog, I commented that Adidas launched last November 17. The objective of the blog is to show a new image of the company, a more personal picture behind the brands. The want to show how is adidas from the point of view of their employees. The main idea is that people from all departments, such as Marketing, Operations, Sales and HR tells their stories, what they do, projects they are working on, in brief, explain their experience about be part of The Adidas Group´s Team.

But the company also provides a course about social media, no just blogs. Twitter, how share videos and pictures, and so on.   The group explains their social media guidelines in two different ways.

The first one, the traditional way, in a PDF document the group explain how be involve in the new blog, They encourages their employees to tell their thoughts , share their passion, explain how is their life inside the adidas walls . But also they tell them about some guidelines to avoid any problem or misunderstandings.   

For example, they employees must identify with their name and role in adidas when they discuss any topic related to the group on the Internet, and they are responsible for the comments or content of their blogs, wikis, etc.  They can´t comment on work-related legal matters, unless they are an official spokesperson, theu have to respect their audience, always respect copyright,  Don't cite or reference clients, partners or suppliers without their approval, and of course they have to do their daily job too.

Click here to see the old way to show the Social Media Guidelines: OLD SCHOOL

But in the beginning of 2011, the company reinvented their SMG, by showing more content and a creative way, through a cartoon story.  In addition to providing more details  about the use of social media externally and their  internal social software, the new SMG show a cartoon couple Sue Social and Media Man.  That´s a amazing way to get employees involve with the new blog, but also with the new social media. Its like a small tutorial about blogs, twitter, wikis, facebook and so on. A brilliant way to explain that indeed.

My advice, take a look of the new SMG of adidas group. I learned a couple of thinks about social media. Media Man and Sue Social

Adidas traditional media vs New media

Adidas became in one of the most important sport supplies companies in the world. That is not a big news. I have been talking about that for a couples of weeks, or post. But Since I was surfing the adidas web page, looking for their relation with the “Traditional Media”, I found out that they have an remarkable Web News Room.

In the adidas newsroom journalism can find contact information of the PR and editorial person as well, basic Fact about the company, financial information, easy downloadable images for their stories and so on.

Also, adidas newsroom offers advance interactive cyber tools. Recently, November 17,  the company launched their official corporate blog:  http://blog.adidas-group.com . In the web page the company explain “ The overall objective of the adidas Group blog is to paint a personal and authentic picture of the company behind the brands. The adidas Group blog will provide insights into the adidas Group’s business and its company culture, which is based on a shared passion for sport and a sporting lifestyle. Employees from various departments within the adidas Group such as HR, Operations, Marketing, Social and Environmental Affairs and IT will tell stories about their daily tasks, projects they work on and their experience of being part of the adidas Group’s team…”

In my last blog I didn’t mention about the blogs in the adidas world and that would be a critic for these one, but Adidas launch just in time their blog, so move on. In addition, the organization web site provide with Really Simple Syndication Feeds RSS and social media News Releases.  For those reason I believe that adidas Newsroom is pretty good and It’s adapting for old and new media or journalism.

But I want to share something about new strategies for promote their product, that was use by adidas a few years ago. The contracted an Advertising Agency: TBWA, London. The challenge was reach the active soccer kids fans ( males, 14-19 years old) , whose  according to some research that target ( at UK ) was notoriously hard to engage and impress though standard media channels. Some research shows that kids  aren’t sitting in from of their TVs as they used to be. Now they use their computers, smart phones, iPads and so on.

What they do

The agency brought the world’s most famous football player, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, to one city in UK. With only four hours allotted, they avoided a TV spot endorsement idea and unleashed him to the public via an adidas-branded helicopter. In the weeks leading up to his arrival, we seeded content and cryptic messages online, hinting where Messi would be.

Fans were able to trade in their old boots for new F50 adizeros while they  shaking hands and had really good time with their favorite player Messi. Those kids took thousands photos and videos and shared it throughout the web. The company  hit 250,000 Facebook feeds, 368,000 tweets, 3.5 million kids and 41% of the UK. And, all this with zero paid-for media.

Results:

• 250,000 Facebook feeds

• 368,000 tweets

• 3 blog sites led to 195,264 visitors to adidas & Messi sites

• Strong feature on key social networks – Facebook, YouTube & Twitter

• 93% of all traditional media coverage was positive

• Coverage in traditional media Television, Newspapers & News Websites

• The BBC News website featured a photo report of the event

• Covered in 25 countries around the world

• Facebook and video demographics indicated that those most interested and engaged in the event were our core target audience, 91% Male, 43% aged 13-17 yrs

• 3.5 million young football fans saw the activity through TV & press

The company presented Lionel Messi, to his fans in a way that created a  huge ‘social buzz’, talk and news. The funny part was that they didn’t use any traditional media to promotes the event. The results were amazing and the whole strategy was executed in the cyber world.

Adidas in the social network

The Adidas´s target and perhaps stakeholders use social networking all the time.  So adidas page has a good deal of links that guide you to their facebook page,  twitter , and also their Youtube channel.  But no just adidas as a whole. The three adidas production lines , adidas performances, originals and Styles show various options including:

FOLLOW US ON 

 

FOLLOW US ON  

WATCH US ON   

adidas BUZZ

BLOG ROLL

FOLLOW US VIA RSS

CONTACT US

If you click it, you can find in just one page the latest News stream of Adidas. News, Facebook updates, latest videos and campaigns, twitters and also you are able to download Adidas´s videos in HD. In addition, the organization uses a link to share photos from their advertising, products, sponsorships athletes and so on.

Adidas Global

Adidas site provide an interactive toolbar function that allow to their customer to surf the website in the global option, ( English ) or to choose their country. France, Italy, Bulgaria, Japan, South America ( Spanish ), South America, ( Portuguese ) , South Africa,  Poland, New Zeland, Germany, Japan, China, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Greece, Spain, UK and US. That tools provide a worldwide brand like adidas the channel to reach their consumers in the whole world.

At least are 2.762.431 stakeholders who like Adidas´s Facebook site, and  29.970 were talking about it ( November 13 ).  The company offer a store locator, share photos and videos, promote the values of the company and the same time they are able to receive a feedback from their clients. The company has a link to ask questions about their promotional videos. “Who from the video most caught your eye? David Beckham, Leo Messi, Derrick Rose”, and  3,819 people voted.

Become a fan on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/adidas

Im a really huge fan of the Adidas commercials.  If you want to find any of the remarkable ( in my opinion ), campaigns of Adidas in the YouTube Adidas channel . That link offers a variety of videos, including a  Lionel Messi telling you about how they became a winners, even with the growing problem that He had when Lionel was a little kid. Also, you can see a the latest MVP in the NBA, Derek Rose, showing his skills with the basketball, and with his shoes of course.

I think that Adidas create a stronger relationship with the young clients throughout the social´s sites. The Adidas brand is available in every place in the world, but also you can buy any product in their website.  A site which is really dynamic, colorful and reflect the passion and values of the company for the sport world. At the same time, the content is accurate, useful and reflect a professional Adidas appearance,  in an user-friendly environment.

In brief, Adidas is everywhere; I find this phrase from the organization site, which summarizes this statement. “ We give everything we've got, then go back for more. No doubts, no holding back, no giving in. From the court to the catwalk, the stadium to the street; whatever the game, we play the same way: Heart over head. Inclusion over ego. United by passion, we go all in".

Adidas more than sports

The company adidas started has a sports manufacturer in Germany, now it’s the largest sportswear company in Europe and the second biggest in the world. But How that happened. The three stripes are part of our culture, its an icon, its unique.  

But not just in the sport world, also in music, fashion, show business and so on.

Adidas has personality, a big group of  stakeholders feel passion about their brand. You can read that all over the adidas group website . If we analyze adidas throughout  the UAT Filter (The unique, authentic and talkable filter ) it easy to find stunt marketer that build adidas’ s personality. For instead, In the 1980s, Adidas sponsored rap group Run-D.M.C., a breakthrough idea. Many people knew about adidas because Run-D.M.C. People who might not like sports. Be can think , well that was great, unique, that marketing move make a big impression at that time. Now , 30 years after, that stunt become part of a large meaning. Seeing videos of  adidas Original advertising campaigns , you can notice that Adidas has become more than a sports brand.

Beyond that kind of stunts adidas became unique when in 50’s  Adi Dassler designed boots which for the first time feature removable studs. Adidas created a twist. A revolutionary footwear which helped Germany to won the Soccer World Cup in 1954.   In addition,  adidas showed be authentic , not just for their heritage, also they have values that their customers and stakeholders share.

How to be authentic, well have a credible and vast heritage. Adidas have enough story to built perhaps two personalities. If you read the history of the company in the website, you are able to know where the company comes from. For example, did you know that Dassler was the first business CEO to use sports promotion in order to make the public aware of his innovations.

In this point, I have to refer about the third filter in terms of defining your brand personality, be talkable.  In our time a  large group of sport companies use well-know athletes to advertise their product, that it’s the perfect way to promote footwear.   Now I am talking about more than 50 years ago when Dassler used athletes such as Jesse Owens ( Atletism ), Muhammad Ali ( Boxing  ), Max Schemeling ( Boxing ), Sepp Herberger ( soccer coach ) and Franz Beckenbauer ( Soccer ), that was a great hook to make people to talk and share the adidas’s message with friends and family.

Another strong point that I found about adidas their positioning throughout the branding details. Adidas creates an emotional bond with consumers through the mixture of elements such as image, name, logos , slogans. My last blog I mentioned about the adidas’s slogan impossible is nothing. In this one I want to focus in the adidas logo.

Adidas has changed their logo a couple of times, but every single logo have became in part of one line of product of the company. Perhaps , the old style adidas logo, the trefoil (flower) logo design which was adopted like the adidas official logo in 1972, now its use only on the adidas original line. But the signature of adidas is the three parallel stripes. That sign is in every adidas  product and its part of their heritage.

The adidas’s logo has become in synonymous of dedication, passion and hard work to produce high-quality product to help professional or regular athletes to reach a better performance.

 In brief, the adidas personality is one of the stronger signature of the company. The positioning of the brand is worldwide, and not just in the sports world. Adidas is more than just a name, a company, or logo. The company has become in a icon of sports, fashion and even a pop culture.

 Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adidas

http://www.adidas-group.com/en/home/Welcome.aspx

Bhargava-UAT A signature is not enought