Introduction Of New Adidas Sport Shoes Marketing Essay

The introduction of a new product is challengeable and even such large companies as Adidas may face substantial difficulties, while introducing new sport shoes. The successful introduction of the new sport shoes by Adidas needs the elaboration of the marketing plan, which sets goals, methods, strategies and describes all steps the company has to undertake to introduce the new product. The marketing plan should be flexible. In addition, the company should develop an effective promotional campaign, based on the use of celebrity endorsement to attract customers and to introduce the new product successfully.

Introduction of new Adidas Sport Shoes

Introduction

The introduction of a new product, such as sport shoes by renowned brands, such as Adidas, need a well-developed marketing plan to ensure the overall success of the new product. In this regard, the introduction of new Adidas sport shoes may need the celebrity endorsement, including the involvement of sport stars to promote the new product and to attract more customers.

Definition of Marketing Plan

The marketing plan plays a crucial part in the introduction of the new product. The marketing plan lays the foundation to policies and strategies conducted by Adidas to introduce and sell successfully its new sport shoes. The marketing should include key steps from the introduction of the new product to its successful implementation and analysis of outcomes after the introduction of the new product. In such a way, the marketing plan defines the introduction of the new product and allows the company to maintain control over its implementation. However, a good marketing plan should be flexible enough to allow the company to introduce the change.

Marketing Plans: an Example of Success

Adidas has proved to be quite successful in the introduction of its marketing plans. For instance, the company has opened the new 6,500-square-foot store at Tysons Corner Center, complete with Adidas’ full line of fashion and sports apparel, could be an anomaly that might indicate that sports retailers and their manufacturing partners are charging forward, even as consumers have reduced their overall spending. It also suggests that parts of the D.C. area are somewhat insulated from the economic downturn (Retail stores show signs of life, 2009). At the same time, the company maintains a positive brand image, which is strong internationally, and the company is building presence with its own retail stores in the United States. The company remains focused on bringing its own stores on its own terms into the marketplace, and this strategy contributes to the growth of its brand (Retail stores show signs of life, 2009). Nevertheless, today it remains to be seen whether the new Adidas store is a bellwether of better economic times for the sporting goods industry because the economic recession has deteriorated the situation in the industry consistently that made the introduction of the new sport shoes quite difficult. However, at the least, it’s an example of one company moving forward (Retail stores show signs of life, 2009).

Marketing Plans: an Example of Failure

Marketing plans are not always successful. In fact, it is possible to refer to numerous cases of failure of marketing plans focusing on the introduction of new spot shoes. In this regard, even such behemoths of sportswear industry as Adidas can face substantial problems and risk of marketing plans’ failure. For instance, the poor promotional campaign can lead to the failure of the new product. The poor management can be also a reason to failure. However, the change in the market environment is a particularly widely-spread cause of marketing plans’ failure.

Analysis of Examples

In fact, Adidas and its rivals have proved to be quite successful in the development of marketing plans and introduction of new products. For more than a decade, shoe companies such as Nike and Adidas have sponsored basketball camps and supported powerhouse programs that often send graduates on to the pro ranks. But the rising and more universal corporate interest in prep sports is due primarily to three factors: cost, availability and exposure. (Fisher, 2002). This strategy brought considerable benefits to the company. This strategy has been very effective and beneficial for the company and the schools. The athletic shoe giant provides free sneakers and other gear for more than 100 high-school basketball teams. There was a stigma out there before. (Fisher, 2002).

At the same time, the company used celebrity endorsement to make its marketing plans successful. Seeking credibility with serious climbers and outdoor enthusiasts, mountaineer Reinhold Messner, the first person to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and the first climber to ascend all 14 “eight-thousanders” – peaks more than 8,000 meters, or 26,246 feet – has been tapped as a brand ambassador. He will be the front man for the more technical Mountainsport group. Messner, who has also taken solo treks across Antarctica and through the Sahara desert, will be master of ceremonies for the first OIA Outdoor Inspiration Awards, which Adidas Outdoor will sponsor Jan. 21 in Salt Lake City. (Feitelberg, 2010). The celebrity endorsement increased the popularity of the brand.

The Box Office Flop: a Marketing Application

In fact, the company paid a lot of attention to sport events and endorsement sport stars to promote its products. In this respect, it is possible to refer to the mix a new NBA Jersey design — NBA Revolution 30 – which Adidas unveiled in September. The Jerseys, which all 30 NBA teams are wearing, are not only new and stylish, but they also are 30 percent lighter and dry twice as fast as previous NBA uniforms. The design features an integrated and customizable uniform system that includes Adidas Techfit padded and PowerWeb compression base layers and accessories. That’s why the NBA believes the new design, which includes heat-pressing numerals that allow the fabric to breathe, will not only help enhance player performance by keeping them cooler, drier and more comfortable on the court, but also draw interest from fans wanting to support their favorite player (Pallerino, 2010). In such a way, the company enhances its position in the market and can introduce the new sport shoes successfully using celebrity endorsement and accurate but flexible marketing plan.

Marketing Analysis: What Went Wrong?

The main problem causing failure of marketing plans is the poor promotional campaign and failure of the company to meet needs and wants of customers. In this respect, the company should develop its marketing strategy on the ground of the detailed analysis of the current marketing situation to assess needs and wants of customers. In addition, the company should use its strategy of celebrity endorsement that will contribute to the high attention of consumers to its products. The inability of the company to position the product properly may lead to its failure. At the same time, the endorsement of a wrong celebrity can undermine the brand image, especially if the celebrity becomes unpopular in the public eye. Therefore, the company should implement efficient strategies that meet needs of customers and create a positive brand image that will stimulate customers to buy new sport shoes of the company.

Conclusion

Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the effective marketing plan can contribute to the successful introduction of the new sport shoes by such companies as Adidas. On the other hand, such giants as Adidas should not ignore careful and detailed elaboration of the marketing plan because the marketing plan is an essential condition of the successful introduction of the new product in the market. In such a way, the company can succeed with its new product but it needs to develop the effective marketing plan and continue its strategy of celebrity endorsement.

References:

Feitelberg, Rosemary. (2010). “Adidas’ Outdoor Line Coming Back.” WWD: Women’s Wear Daily, 2(1), 27200:132.

Fisher, Eric et al. (2002). “Are High-School Sports Keeping the Right Company?” Insight on the News,  28(2), 1518:13.

Pallerino, Michael J. (2010). “Turning Up the Heat.” SGB,  36(2), 1243:6.

“Retail stores show signs of life.” (2009-04-24). Washington Times, The (DC), 6(1).