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How Adidas Is Fighting To Win World Cup Battle Of The Brands

In a Q&A with Barry Janoff, Adidas' soccer brand manager Molly Maixner explains why even Dwight Howard, Reggie Bush, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Snoop Dogg are part of marketing efforts to reach a broader audience than the soccer fanatic in a global category where product sales could top $11 billion in 2010.

Dedicated soccer fans have their own campaign, called "Matchups" that allows fans to engage with the brand. "So you would hook up two athletes, " explains Maixner, "and utilize statistics that compare athletes as well as teams and histories. It is a great opportunity for us to incite conversation and to really build our brand message and engage consumers throughout the entire course of the tournament."

The "Matchups" campaign is also featured on Adidas' Facebook page where, depending on the games being played on a given day, there will be new pairings of athletes throughout the tournament. "And if you look at our more general "Every Team Needs ..." campaign, says Maixner, "that targets not just soccer fans but sports fans -- someone who watches Michigan football or basketball during the season and is now interested in the World Cup because it is such a large global event."

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