PUMA & adidas See Returns After Olympics

words_Nick DePaula

Both PUMA and adidas have reported great after-effects resulting from their high-profile partnerships and sponsorships in Beijing during the now-concluded 2008 Summer Olympics. For adidas, who reportedly paid upwards of $100 Million to be the official athletic sponsor of the Olympic Games, they’ve already noticed a huge rise in sales and visibility in the ever-competitive and growing Chinese market, beginning with the 2008 year when they began their promotions of the Games.

For adidas, the bulk of their success stemmed from their sponsorship of the Games and their ability to sell officially licensed merchandise and clothing, as well as stripe out all hats and apparel worn by Olympic officials and representatives, taking their brand visibility to new heights in front of the eyes of billions. The company said sales in China jumped more than 60% during the first half of 2008 in leading up to the games, the same timeframe that all Beijing Olympics gear became available. “We are well on track to reach our sales target of more than €1 Billion ($1.47 Billion US) for the adidas Group in China by 2010,” said Herbert Hainer, adidas Chief Executive, in a released statement. China is now adidas’ second largest market, behind only to the United States, though they still trail Nike as the overall market leader among athletic corporations.

While a sponsor on a much-smaller scale, PUMA benefited from their relationship with Jamaica’s Track & Field team, namely sprinter Usain Bolt, who took home three Gold Medals, all coming in World Record times. “We once again set new standards and made sports history, strengthening and expanding our position as one of the leading running brands,” PUMA CEO Jochen Zeitz said in a statement. It was the combination of speed, arrogance and personality that made Bolt so visible, as he looked to be running at another speed altogether while easily distancing himself from the competition. Taking after his childhood idol Michael Johnson and rocking his gold PUMA Theseus II spikes didn’t hurt either.

While Nike can claim tons of success in sponsoring the US Men’s Senior National Basketball Team and Li Ning certainly made strides in outfitting both Spain and Argentina’s hoops squads, it’ll be adidas that will once again be the official athletic sponsor of the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London, and you can be sure to see three stripes adorned across literally anything, as the German-based brand continues its quest towards improved market share in the Asia and Europe regions.

Source: SportsOneSource