There is nothing worse than visiting a foreign country and finding yourself in a store between a bunch of products that you have never been exposed to, forcing you to make a purchase in the moment, purely based on sight. If we were to live in a world without branding, marketing and advertising, which mind you is what it was like before the first print ad or packaging was designed, our purchasing experience today would have been pretty dismal. As shoppers, we are spoilt for choice, with dozen different options for products that we like to purchase boasting on the shelves. It is no wonder business owners turned to the advertising world to help them figure out a way to make their products stand out among the ever increasing competition. The need for brands to differentiate themselves in order to stand out among their competitors, and to be established in a unique position in the mind of the consumer has become a matter of paramount urgency for any brand who would like to thrive in their industry.

Two brands that accomplish this well is Nike and Adidas. These brands have the same type of product offering but have established different groups of loyal target audiences that will prefer their products above others.

Nike has been the market leader for athletic wear for quite some time, with Adidas trailing shortly behind as second in the lead, but up till now Nike seems to remain unbeatable. Both brands have very different approaches in the way they choose to differentiate themselves in the market.  Both are known for their quality products delivered to sports men and women, but part of Nike’s marketing strategy is also to build a strong image and brand equity with a strong focus on customer preferences and ever evolving tastes, connecting with the emotions of consumers with an aspirational mantra, while Adidas’ strategy focuses more on acquiring the sponsorship of different sports events like the Olympic Games in Beijing as well as various football and soccer teams etc. Adidas also built a loyal following by tapping into various sub-cultures over the years, such as the adidas gazelle in 1966; it was also a favourite of Bob Marley and consequently was adopted by the Reggae movement; the terrace culture of the 80’s; and here adidas Originals, the Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and record producer Bad Bunny, and the Argentinian football player Messi join forces, united by their fans who celebrate them as originals in their own right, and adidas winning the hearts of these followers by icon association.

Bad Bunny & Messi | adidas Originals – Leo and Benito unite in a collaboration inspired by millions of messages from real fans—from Rosario, Argentina and Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, to the world.

Both brands have unique logo marks that are recognisable without needing much explanation because of its prevalent use in popular culture. Because the sports market is so competitive, both brands push innovation to gain advantage. Nike spends a lot of money on research to uncover their customers wants and needs and rely on targeted marketing to answer those needs, and as a result have for instance strategically partnered with Apple who is not only a tech company but also a lifestyle brand. In answer to this innovative move, Adidas partnered with Samsung to produce a shoe+phone campaign. Both brands tapped into incorporating tech with training to keep up with the times, dusting out a lot of other close trailing competitors.To keep their competitive edge the best thing that could happen to these two was each other, continually pushing the boundaries in an attempt to gain the market lead. The future for Adidas for instance promises wearable technology with smart shoes, aiming to increase athletic performance and consequently positions the brand as innovation leader above Nike. This technology will have battery powered sensors that can read body temperature, heart beat and even GPS, and will be further innovated between the different areas of sports. Nike on the other hand also has some fashionable alternatives up its sleeve, one of which is the Nike electronic self lacing shoe as seen in the back to the future film.

Nike HyperAdapt – The Nike Mag collector pieces were the pre runner of which only 89 pairs of this first kind were made and raffled off in 2016, after which the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0: Hands-On, the first step into the future of adaptive fit was rolled out commercially in 2017.

With 2 top brands neck on neck like this it is hard to know who will make it to the top between seasons, but as the target audience we are enjoying the fireworks.