Nike and Adidas Rivalry Heats Up With Competing Advertising — Here’s Who Market Experts Say Came Out on Top
Within days of each other, Nike and Adidas released two of the most compelling ads in recent memory.
After 27 years without running an ad during the Super Bowl, Nike debuted its “So Win” campaign, a women-led effort that celebrates the power of sport and encourages athletes “to block out the noise, dig in and let their hard work speak for itself.” The star-studded spot featured A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Sha’Carri Richardson and several others.
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Two days later, Adidas revealed “You Got This,” a continuation of its ongoing efforts to disarm the negative pressures of sport that began in February 2024. Though some of the brand’s superstar athletes appear in the clip, such as Anthony Edwards, Aliyah Boston and Trinity Rodman, it’s the everyday athletes featured that take the lead.
The executions of the ads, with one led solely by megastar women athletes and the other pairing everyday athletes with its brightest professional stars, could leave some to believe the messages are different. However, one industry insider believes their messages are complementary.
Spurwink River advisor and BCE Consulting senior advisor Matt Powell — who admitted Nike and Adidas did a great job with each of their efforts — believes both inherently are about motivating athletes to persevere in the face of adversity.
“The Adidas commercial was much more about athletes, not necessarily superstars. The Nike spot was much more about really well known stars, but Nike focused solely on women, and to some extent, they were also making a statement politically as well,” Powell told FN. “Frankly, Nike could have absolutely run the Adidas spot and put Nike at the end of it, and it would have been pretty consistent with their message as well.”
Though both campaigns have been celebrated, Marc Beckman, chief executive officer of marketing agency DMA United, believes Nike’s ad has the edge when it comes to the message that was delivered.
“I believe it effectively elevates one on the brand’s core values: overcoming adversity,” Beckman said. “The creators of the campaign did a masterful job at highlighting what every athlete confronts every single day: the power of your mind.”
He continued, “Nike did a great job and addressing this issue: the individual competing with herself to overcome mental obstacles. I love it.”
The most glaring difference between the two is casting, with Nike opting for an all-woman cast of renowned athletes and a voiceover by Grammy Award-winning rapper Doechii, and Adidas including both men and women throughout.
Despite this, Powell believes both actually hit a wide range of consumers.
“The Adidas spot was great, they took a much broader view. In the case of Nike, they’re trying to uplift women specifically. And l think they’re also trying to make, in a sense, a political statement in a time when women are probably going to see more rights taken away and there’s a general attitude that women are somehow inferior to men,” Powell explained. “I [also] think the demographic [for Nike’s ad] extends well beyond women. My son has two daughters and this matters a lot to him, what happens of women in sports, as an example. It’s broader than just women.”
Though both ads were well received, Beckman did question the timing of Nike’s reveal.
“Not sure why Nike would launch this campaign featuring elite female athletes during the NFL main event. It would make more sense during the NBA All-Star Weekend,” he said. “Predictably, Nike purchased media for NBA All-Star, too.”
Powell, however, believes both Nike and Adidas nailed it.
“I think Nike was sending a very clear statement that we’re back. Nike’s message was, ‘We’re back on offense.’ And I think that’s an important message for them to be sending right now. Those Super Bowl spots are millions and millions of dollars, but they get a ton of attention. The mentions of that spot over the last couple of days, and even before the Super Bowl, the spot was getting mentions. There’s a tremendous amount of PR value to being on the Super Bowl.”
He continued, “In the case of Adidas, we’re sort of in a quiet time just before the [NBA] All-Star Game. It’s a great time to come out with something in a relative lull in the marketing that seems to be incessant. It sets them up well for All-Star, which is not the event that it used to be, but is still important.”
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at [email protected].
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