adidas-salomon
Nowadays people know adidas as a very famous sports brand. “adidas” not only produces sports shoes but also produces anything about sports, for example, balls, clothes, rackets, accessories, etc...And what is the reason that makes adidas so popular? Today, Vogue invites the market manager of adidas- “Angela Roddick” to tell you the secret of adidas.
Vogue: Hi, Ms. Roddick. May I just call you Angela? I think that will make us feel leisurer.
Angela Roddick: Oh, of course. After all I’m not so serious actually.
V: Okay, that’s great. So let’s start it. At first, can you just tell us the simple history about adidas? You know, just like something about the initiator, the beginning of this brand. (1)
A: Yes, “adidas” was established by Adolf Dassler in German in 1948. But at first, Adolf and his brother Rudolf established a small company and they registered it as “Dassler Brothers OHG” in 1924. At the beginning, the brother Dassler, Adi and Rudi rented a factory and initiated “Dassler Brothers sports shoe Factory”. There were 25 employees and producing 100 pairs of shoes one day
V: So how come that “Dassler brothers OHG” became “adidas”? What happened then? (2)
A: Anyway, the Dassler brothers went separate different ways in 1948 is the reason that made “Dassler Brothers OHG” become “adidas”. In 1949, adidas was registered as a company, named after its founder: “Adi” from Adolf and “Das” from Dassler. And you know what, the younger Rudi estblished the other famous sports brand “Puma” in fact. It’s really interesting, isn’t it?
V: Oh, I never knew that. So the brothers compete with each other, it doesn’t sounds great.
A: It’s fine, competing makes people progressive.
V: That’s true. And we’d like to know that why did Adi want to establish this company? What was the reason? (3)
A: Actually, Adi was not only a shoe-producer, but also an athlete. In his mind, sport absolutely is the most important thing. There was no doubt that he was a visionary, but to change the world and make amount of money were not his goals. The only thing he wanted was just making a pair of good shoes, just like our logo “three lines” which means to stabilize your feet. And that was a wonderful reason that made him established “adidas”.
V: Yes, it’s so wonderful that have a dream and make it come true. I wonder why Adi could make this so successful? What is the avenue to success of Adi, or we can say adidas? Can you tell us? (4)
A: Yes, to manage this brand in perpetuity, Adi added creative abilities to sports sprits. That made Adi Dassler has been a outstanding person until now. To be close to the athletes and their trainers directly helps us to create new products and improve other products that already created. Adi focused on creating and producing, selling and profiting were always the last things he thought of.
These were what Adi worked for his whole life, and also his avenues to success.
V: It sounds that Adi was a really really nice man.
A: Yes, he was. He was really kind.
V: And now let’s talk about the spokesmen of adidas. We know that adidas sponsors so many kinds of sports all the way, and what kinds of sports do you sponsor? (5)
A: Actually, adidas is the first brand that uses sponsors to promote the products. Adi started making athletes be “live advertisements”, and it really works. Now we sponsor several kinds of sports, like basketball, football, golf, running, tennis, and cycling.
V: Wow, pretty much. So, can you just give us maybe several spokesmen you have? (6)
A: Of course. When it comes to basketball, we have “Tracy McGrady” in Houston Rockets, I like him so much, and “Kevin Garnett” in Minnesota Timberwolves, etc…And when it comes to football, you can never miss this handsome guy…
V: Don’t tell me that guy is Beckam! Oh, I love him so much!
A: Yes, it is. That handsome man is “David Beckam”. Almost everyone loves him right? That is the reason why we have him be our flack, honey. And of course we still have other excellent football players like “Zidane”, “Raul”, “Ballack”, and “Kaka”. They are all really great. Golf, we have “Ian Poulter”, “Sergio Garcia”, and “Justin Rose”. And tennis, we got “Justine Henin-Hardenne”…
V: I like her.
A: Me, too. She is amazing. And we also have “Marat Safin”, he is really cute, and “Mardy Fish” of course.
V: Oh, you do have a lot of excellent athletes to promote your products. Why did you think that those people could make your business run better? (7)
A: “New adidas athletes” not only improve their skills of sports, but also make the up-to-date designs of adidas standing out by contrast. After so many connections, adidas sponsors so many young athletes, like “Kobe Bryan”, “Anna Kournikova”, and “David Beckam”, who we just mentioned.
V: We know that adidas has been already spread in the whole world and it’s already very famous now, do you still want to extend your sales territories? I mean, you are really famous enough. (8)
A: Absolutely. We have our concept stores in 24 countries, and local retailers in 33 countries. But there are never enough, you know that. There are still many places that we haven’t had a concept store or a local retailer yet. For example we don’t have a concept store in Taiwan.
V: That’s true. But what is the difference between the concept store and the local retailer? (9)
A: In a concept store, you can find our up-to-date products. And you can have more choices to bring our wonderful products home. But if you are in a local retailer, you might not have those advantages. Nevertheless, even you are not in the concept store, I believe that you can still find anything you want in our local retailers, because we are adidas.
V: Yes, of course. In the end, can you tell us that what is the next you want to do? And what is the future of adidas you think? (10)
A: The establishment and success of adidas changed the history of sports and the whole industry. “Adidas means the sprits of sports” is Adi’s favorite words, and we will follow this forever. To adidas, the competition and skill on the athletic field are much more important than the importance of the finance. Forever sports!
V: The last but not least, I hope that you will establish one concept store in Taiwan as soon.
A: Of course, we will.
V: Thank you so much.
A: Thank you.
After this introduction, do you know about adidas more? If you are not satisfied to it, just get on the website of adidas
http://www.adidas.com/tw/shared/brandselector.asp
http://www.adidas-salomon.com/en/overview/welcome.asp
They are very detailed that you can get any information you want on them.
If you are already satisfied, just open the door and go to the nearest adidas to bring a wonderful “adidas” back!
