Reebok 2015 Annual Report Download - page 65

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GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT – OUR GROUP
Group Strategy – adidas Strategy
ADIDAS STRATEGY
MISSION: TO BE THE BESTSPORTS BRAND IN THE WORLD
adidas has a long history and the strongest connection with sport. Its mission is to be the best sports
brand in the world. This is anchored in the brand’s belief – through sport we have the power to change
lives. adidas’ broad and diverse sports portfolio, from major global sports such as football and running, to
regional heartbeat sports such as American football and rugby, has enabled adidas to transcend cultures
and become one of the most recognised and iconic global brands.
Driven by a relentless pursuit of innovation in sports product design, development and manufacturing as
well as decades of accumulating sports science expertise, adidas is creating a unique and comprehensive
sports offering. Spanning footwear, apparel, equipment and services, adidas caters for all, from the elite
professional athletes and teams to any individual who wants to make sport part of their lives.
With this powerful platform, adidas is in a very strong position for growth.
CONSUMER OBSESSION: CREATING FOR THE CREATORS
The consumer is at the heart of everything adidas does. By constantly developing desirable products and
inspiring brand experiences, adidas strives to build a strong image, trust and loyalty with consumers.
Over the past two years, adidas undertook significant changes to its organisational structure as well as
its consumer strategy and management incentive system, to take its culture of consumer obsession to
the next level.
•Organisational structure: In 2015, the adidas brand organisation completed a major reorganisation
of roles and responsibilities under the Brand Leadership programme. The aim of this programme
is to provide an organisational structure which enables a ‘consumer-obsessed’ culture that can act
with speed, agility and empowerment. This has been achieved by adapting the ownership of decision-
making from a horizontal functional model to a vertical consumer model, where the business owner, for
example Running, now has clear decision-making authority across all functional marketing disciplines.
In addition, our Global Brands organisation has a centralised, global role for key decisions relating to
the appearance of our brands and products around the world. With this approach, we ensure that our
product offering in the markets enjoys a high level of commonality, while at the same time we ensure
that major initiatives such as product launch and communication activities are managed centrally before
they are executed locally by the markets.
•Creator archetype: Based on the rapid evolution of sport and sports culture, with Creating the New,
adidas evolved its consumer segmentation strategy to better account for market realities. The new
consumer grid comprises six key quadrants, which are not mutually exclusive. Within this grid, the key
is to win the most influential consumers, which we call the creator archetype. The creator focus is at
the top of the grid, on male and female athletes as well as the streetwear hounds. True to the brand’s
values, these influential consumers define themselves as a work in progress – are all doers, first to
adopt, creating their own content and are focused on what’s next and what’s new. A large portion of
creators live, play and create in the world’s most influential and aspirational cities, a key reason for the
Group’s Key Cities strategic choice. In 2016, adidas will accelerate global and local marketing initia-
tives to amplify the brand’s creator positioning in the marketplace, with a specific focus on women’s.