Adidas

Adidas is a sportswear and footwear company based in Germany. Adolf Dassler, a German, founded the company. Adi Dassler, who began making shoes in the 1920s with the aid of his brother Rudolf Dassler, was given this name by combining his given name and surname. Three parallel lines of the same color help customers identify Adidas. Rudi left in 1947 to found Puma. Adi founded Adidas AG in August 1949 after coining the term “Adidas” from his own name in 1948 and introducing the “Three Stripes” logo in 1949. The 1954 World Cup was won by Germany thanks to Adidas studded soccer boots, later dubbed “World Champion.” Adidas was one of the first companies to use athletes to promote their products at major sporting events.

Bernard Tapie, a French businessman, purchased adidas in 1989. The business is run by a family. Tapie relocated production to Asia and enlisted Madonna as a spokesperson. adidas EQUIPMENT was founded in 1991 and sells clothing and footwear. Adidas funded a streetball tournament in 1992, helping to establish streetball as a legitimate sport. Credit Lyonnais turned his debt into Adidas stock; Robert Louis-Dreyfus took over as manager and purchased the company from the bank in 1993. To find young soccer talent, Adidas created the Adidas Predator Cup (and the Predator shoe) in 1994. In 1995, Adidas took Kobe Bryant under their wing and went public.

adidas sold the Salomon division in 2005, bringing the company back to its roots (Adidas Group). Project Fusion, the company’s training scheme, incorporated tracking technology into clothing in 2006. In 2006, it renamed itself Adidas AG after acquiring Reebok International Inc.

Adolf (Adi) Dassler, the company’s founder, began making shoes in Herzogenaurach, near Nuremberg, in the 1920s. On August 18, 1949, it was incorporated as Adidas AG. Three parallel stripes of the same color are common in Adidas apparel and shoe designs, and the same pattern is used in the company’s official logos. Adi’s brother, Rudolf Dassler, created PUMA, a competitor.

Adidas is a sportswear brand. Adidas main rivals are PUMA and Nike. Nike and Adidas, as well as their rivals, are two major footwear firms that have pursued an online e-commerce strategy to boost revenue and product recognition. Most recently, companies such as Nike and Adidas have made significant investments in online brand growth and image development. In August 1996, Nike launched the nike.com website, mainly to provide information to its customers.

Although there were no e-commerce capabilities in 1996, the website served as a platform for the company to develop its brand. Nike updated their website in 1999 to include more e-commerce features. The company revealed in August 2005 that it had reached an agreement to buy competitor Reebok for $3.8 billion. Its market share in North America will grow as a result of the deal, and it would be able to compete more effectively with Nike.

Since Herbert Hainer became CEO of Adidas AG (then Adidas-Salomon AG) in 2000, he has honed the company’s emphasis – selling Salomon and acquiring Reebok to focus on its core competencies – and, he claims, made it faster, more agile, and better equipped to “bring its products to life.”

Reebok’s acquisition was astute to say the least, as the company has a strong presence in mega-market sports like American Football and Basketball, which Nike previously dominated. Perhaps the combined strength of Reebok and Adidas will help.

Adidas, on the other hand, continues to make good strides. It is still Europe’s largest sportswear maker, and its marketing initiatives and acquisitions have increased its visibility in sports ranging from golf to skateboarding. Hainer and Adidas have been rewarded for their efforts with category-leading new models, and in this year’s FIFA World Cup, he confidently promises “a lot of new and creative products” to be shown in South Africa this summer.