Adidas

What I knew before

Adidas is one of the oldest athletic apparel brands started by one of two brothers, the other of whom started Puma
They had made a big shift from purely athletic apparel to a lot more trendy apparel in their brick and mortar shops
They have been trying to make a big push in basketball with their sponsored athletes

Introduction and Expectations

I expected Adidas to have a very sporty campus, a campus home to a big shift in their product line. In recent years, almost every Adidas store that I have visited has been nearly one hundred percent streetwear and trendy apparel. In Montreal, I remember seeing sweatshirts with graffiti-like text and white shoes that had been colored by professional artists. While they still had some of their classic soccer shoes, the store was not dedicated to sports the way it used to be. I expected this shift to be reflected by the campus and mindset of the employees.

I have never been a big Adidas fan, always preferring Nike and Under Armour. I wanted to see if Adidas totally could change my mind about that opinion and make me like them as a brand.

Visit Summary

Adidas’ campus seemed like a college campus in many ways; they had their flagship store like we have the bookstore, very modern buildings, and athletic fields. Instead of a Testudo statue, they even had a pair of human-sized Superstar shoes on their campus. One thing I noticed about Adidas was that they spoke a lot about their competition. They constantly mentioned Nike and even Under Armour, showing how conscientious they are of their competition. Adidas also showed us about what work-life balance looks like on the West Coast; a work day could entail working out in the Adidas gym before lunch, and playing soccer on the field in the afternoon. Our presenter, Rich Robertson, also spoke of all of the time that he gets to spend with his kids because of his job flexibility, contributing to that work-life balance.

In the actual design lab, I saw a very open space that had loud music and big tables. It looked like a very fun environment to work and collaborate in, with soccer balls being kicked all around. In the design lab, we saw a testing station where professional athletes would come in, and Adidas engineers would take measurements on the athlete’s performance to better engineer shoes. They gave a very cool example where they explained how they used force plates to record data on a James Harden jab step, and then use that data to better design his signature shoes. This showed me that so much more than comfort and design go into the making of a shoe, something I was not entirely familiar with before this visit.

Along with becoming more trendy, they also spoke about how their partnership with Kanye launched them into a sort of spotlight. By using cultural moguls like Kanye, Pharrell Williams and others, they become prevalent in more markets than athletics.

Adidas’ culture is built around creativity, confidence, and collaboration. They strive to create sustainable products, and have are internationally recognized for their sustainability efforts. We also learned that they acquired Reebok, which is more fitness/ cross-fit focused, and they making a constant effort to grow the Reebok brand.

Key Takeaways

It is important to be aware about what your competition is doing. Adidas constantly was reminding us that their number one competitor was right down the road. While it is not wise to fixate on your competitor, it is smart to have them in mind and have an idea of what they are up to. It was very evident that Adidas had Nike in the back of their mind, and this resonated with me, especially in contrast to Nike, because Nike barely, if at all, mentioned their competition.
By utilizing unconventional partnerships and marketing, you can greatly expand your target market. Adidas took a road less travelled by signing people like Kanye and Pharrell Williams, and it has really paid off for them.
Adidas really values its employees’ work-life balance. Edgar H. Schein says in "Organizational Culture and Leadership" that organizational structure is developed through such decisions as what you pay attention to, whom you reward and how you allocate resources." It was very interesting to me how Adidas allocated their resources; not only did they invest heavily in creating an active workplace with a very nice modern gym and beautiful athletic fields, but they also encouraged their employees to forfeit one of their most valuable resources - time - to lead an active lifestyle.

Post Visit Actions/ Thoughts

After the visit, I connected with Rich Robertson on LinkedIn. Adidas has done a good job of adapting to changes in the market and competition, and seemed like a truly fun place to work.