Top Things You Should Know About Adidas’ Digital Marketing Strategy & Campaigns

The digital marketing strategy and campaigns are behind much of the success of the number one sportswear manufacturer in Europe that it has enjoyed in recent years. Adidas focuses on leveraging the power of digital channels to create engaging and personalized experiences for its customers. 

Changing consumer behaviors with the digital transformation leading people to make more online purchases also changes what Adidas focuses on. For instance, Adidas is investing more than €1 billion in digitalization, including digital marketing, as part of its main growth strategy until 2025, “Own the Game.”

What’s Inside?

Digital Marketing Strategies of Adidas

Adidas focuses heavily on digital marketing, dedicating a significant portion of its budget to campaigns that span platforms like YouTube and social media. The brand aims to engage with its audience and create personal connections, using data-driven insights to be where its customers are online.

Let’s look at Adidas’ digital marketing strategies one by one: 

Digitalization

The company spends the biggest part of its marketing budget on digital campaigns. Describing itself as a digital company, Adidas wants to be the world’s best sporting apparel brand. For the “best” means designing, building, and selling the most unique and comfortable sports goods in the world. In order to achieve this, they use digitalization as the key part of their marketing strategy to inform their target audience about their products. From commercials published on YouTube to engaging social media posts, Adidas utilizes various digital marketing channels to spread the word.

Relationship with Customers

Adidas tries to interact with its customers and create personalized experiences. In other words, Adidas generates enthusiasm and excitement about sports on a personal level. The brand takes every touchpoint like mobile, social, and retail to interact with the consumers to provide an inspiring and personal experience. By taking insights from digital analysis, Adidas tries to be everywhere its consumers are.

Engine Digital collaborated with the Adidas Digital Future Team to meet the needs of Run Genie’s audience. The agency was tasked with defining an end-to-end customer experience that enables the sales team to guide the purchase decision through data visualization and connected hardware.

Here you can learn more about the project: Adidas: Using Data to Choose the Perfect Shoe

Open-Source Innovations and Collaborations

Adidas opens its doors and calls everyone including athletes, consumers, and partners to shape the future of sports and sports culture. They focus on bringing unique and useful products to the market altogether to meet the demands of today’s world and the common future. A great example of such creative collaborations is Adidas’s partnership with Parley for the Oceans producing three new UltraBoost models from ocean plastic waste.

Strategic Cities

Six cities (London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Shanghai, and Tokyo) that shape the consumers’ perceptions, trends, and buying decisions have strategic importance in Adidas’s marketing strategy. Adidas spends more to market its products in these countries but it differentiates the products to be advertised for each country regarding the culture and the demands of the markets. For example, in Europe, they focus on selling soccer products, but the US is a key country for other subsidiaries like basketball and baseball.

Portfolio

The company is constantly revisiting its portfolio with a focus on the core brands: Adidas and Reebok. For instance, in 2018, Adidas repositioned Reebok for more profitability. For Reebok, they collaborate with influential women designers like Victoria Beckham and women who want to change the world like Ariana Grande and Gigi Hadid to make the brand more appealing to women.

Adidas’ Target Audience Analysis: Who Does Adidas Target?

Let’s have a breakdown of Adidas’ target audience and how the brand tailors its approach for each group:

Age: Adidas primarily targets individuals between 14 and 40 years old; the company caters to:

But there’s more: 

Adidas’ Marketing Mix

Adidas’ success is rooted in a carefully crafted marketing mix, often referred to as the 4Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. 

Let’s break down how Adidas has positioned itself for success in these key areas.

Product Strategy

Adidas has long been recognized for producing high-quality, innovative products, a legacy that dates back to its early years. 

Through strategic investments in technology, such as Boost cushioning for enhanced comfort and performance, Adidas continues to push boundaries in sports footwear. The brand’s commitment to sustainability is clear through initiatives like collaborating with BASF to enhance Boost technology and using recycled marine plastics in its products.

These efforts cater to the growing environmental consciousness among consumers while maintaining product excellence. Adidas’ product range also spans sportswear, footwear, and accessories, ensuring appeal to a wide range of consumers. Collaborations with high-profile designers and exclusive collections like Yeezy further cement Adidas’ position in the fashion-forward market.

Price Strategy

Adidas employs a competitive pricing strategy that aligns with the value of its premium products. In a similar pricing range to its main competitor, Nike, Adidas strikes a balance between accessibility and premium positioning. 

The brand adjusts its pricing according to product lines, such as the Adidas Originals range targeting style-conscious youth and the Adidas Performance line designed for professional athletes. Despite the higher price points, consumers are willing to pay for Adidas products because they recognize the exceptional quality and technological advancements that come with them.

Place Strategy

Adidas boasts an expansive distribution network, reaching consumers across the globe through both online and offline channels. With a strong retail presence, including branded stores, department store concessions, and factory outlets, Adidas ensures its products are easily accessible. The brand has also embraced the rise of e-commerce, making significant strides in digital partnerships and investments to cater to consumers in both emerging and developed markets.

Its direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, supported by proprietary apps, strengthens customer engagement and allows for a more personalized shopping experience. Adidas’ efficient logistics network, supported by third-party providers, maximizes global reach while minimizing costs.

Promotion Strategy

Adidas employs a comprehensive promotional strategy that mixes traditional advertising with cutting-edge digital marketing. The brand collaborates with global sports figures, influencers, and celebrities to promote its products and elevate brand visibility. 

Adidas’ digital campaigns focus on social media engagement, targeted ads, and influencer partnerships that resonate with Adidas’ brand ethos. 

Additionally, sponsorships with major sports events and teams contribute to building brand loyalty and recognition. Sustainability and community engagement are also key components of Adidas’ promotional messaging, positioning the brand as a socially responsible entity committed to environmental and social change.

Top Marketing Campaigns of Adidas

Adidas advertising campaigns have always had a long-term impact on people. Let’s see the most memorable Adidas marketing campaigns:

Impossible Is Nothing

Adidas has been using this motto since 2004 to highlight “the attitude Adidas shares with athletes around the world – the desire to push yourself further, to surpass limits, to break new ground.”

In 2022, the “Impossible is nothing” motto started to evolve into something bigger and more inclusive. This time, Adidas’ “Impossible is nothing” campaign features female athletes to call all women to action who “keep making the impossible possible every day.” 

With this campaign telling female athletes’ stories who are making their own paths to success despite the gender apartheid, Adidas demonstrates that it can keep up with changing world of new generations demanding equality.

Take the Deal, Dare to Create

Launched in 2019, this campaign aims to push the boundaries of creativity and inspire people to make bold statements through their style and create their own paths. The “Take the deal, dare to create” campaign features a diverse group of athletes from different cultures who dare to challenge the norm and create their own style.

The message given with this campaign is that by taking the deal and being bold, you can create something one of a kind. Adidas implies that its sportswear is the product of creativity with the highest level of uniqueness and it is always ready to accompany you in your journey to find your true self and express it through what you wear.

#When Football Is Everything, Impossible Is Nothing

Adidas fuelled the FIFA World Cup 2022 excitement with a new version of its classic motto, “When football is everything, impossible is nothing.”

In this commercial, Adidas becomes a symbol of reunion and warm feelings. As Lucio Dalla Gasperinathe, the Director of Global Brand Communications of Adidas states that the focus on a family reunion in this campaign demonstrates that everyone gets together for the love of football; even the superstars reunite for such precious events. So, Adidas invokes a feeling of nostalgia in the audience and benefits from the power of digital to associate itself with the good old days.

Inspiring Social Media Campaigns of Adidas

From empowering female athletes to embracing augmented reality, Adidas isn’t just selling sneakers; it’s sparking movements. Get ready to witness a brand that constantly pushes boundaries, celebrates diversity, and proves that on social media, ‘impossible’ is just another hashtag.

Here are some of the best Adidas campaigns that create buzz on social media:

#She Breaks Barriers

In a world where sports media silence echoes for female athletes, Adidas steps up with “She Breaks Barriers.” This campaign amplifies, empowers, and fuels. It tells the stories of champions like Biles and Vonn, inspiring a generation to shatter glass ceilings. Educational programs break down biases, paving the way for equal media and opportunities.

Support, choose, and advocate are what the brand suggests with this social media campaign, leading the audience to rewrite the narrative of achievement, where women in sports not only conquer but redefine.

#RunForTheOceans

Partnering with Parley for the Oceans, Adidas proves that sneakers aren’t just for the streets; they’re for saving the seas, one stride at a time. So, go on, chase those endorphins and the tide against plastic pollution.

Every mile you conquer cleans a mile of plastic off our precious blues. Join the #RunForTheOceans movement and watch your run become a ripple of change.

#ImpossibleIsNothing

Remember the kid who dreamed of backflips in the backyard? #ImpossibleIsNothing is that dream taking flight, fueled by cheers from a community as passionate as your goals.

Micro-challenges, everyday heroes, and creators pushing boundaries redefine “impossible” one scroll at a time. It’s a movement about defying limits, not chasing views, lifting each other up as we conquer personal peaks.

The #ImpossibleIsNothing campaign, featuring Candace Parker, achieved remarkable reach on TikTok, with over 57 million impressions. This success was further amplified by near-perfect brand safety and suitability scores, ensuring viewers encountered the campaign within highly trustworthy content environments.

Conclusion

Adidas’ campaigns play an important role in the brand’s digitalization process. It effectively utilizes various channels, like its captivating social media campaigns, to forge connections with its target audience and increase brand awareness. Adidas’ digital marketing strategy is developed to boost its growth, as it is not content with being the number one sportswear brand in Europe. It uses digital mediums to beat its biggest competitor, Nike, in this game. If you are curious about what kind of campaigns Nike has been running, you can check out our blog post about Nike’s marketing strategy. And if you are looking for professionals to get ahead of your competitors, you can discover top sports marketing agencies and take action!