Adidas has taken a more marketing approach in its development of the sports apparel industry. Adidas highlighted in its 2011 annual report that “a profound understanding of the consumer and customer” is essential to achieving their goal. Adidas focused its investments on high-potential markets, in particular China and Russia. The company strives to “fully exploit market opportunities” by presenting their brands to the consumer in the most impactful way. In the sports industry, customers and consumers tend to know what they want (whether it be running shoes, basketball, badminton racket etc.) which makes Adidas more focused on satisfying the needs and wants of the consumer. However, there are instances where Adidas lean towards product-orientation where they invest in their research and development to experiment with new technologies to create a lightweight shoe, or better cushioning for the soles. However, Adidas is mostly market-oriented in that the company focuses on their target market (e.g. basketball players, runners, football players, athletes of various ages etc.).
Works Cited:
"Group Strategy Annual Report 2011." Adidas. Adidas Group, n.d. Web. 17 Dec.
2012. <http://adidas-group.corporate-publications.com/2011/gb/en/
group-management-report-our-group/group-strategy.html>.
"Adidas Footwear Technology." NordStrom. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.
<http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/footwear-technology>.
Works Cited:
"Group Strategy Annual Report 2011." Adidas. Adidas Group, n.d. Web. 17 Dec.
2012. <http://adidas-group.corporate-publications.com/2011/gb/en/
group-management-report-our-group/group-strategy.html>.
"Adidas Footwear Technology." NordStrom. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.
<http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/footwear-technology>.