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Nike¶s monopoly on the sports world is evident, especially out on the basketball
arena. When entering the IMA on any given day, Nike¶s Hyperdunk, Hyperize, and
Zoom Kobe IV¶s are sneakers that can frequently be seen out on the court. What do
these shoes all have in common? -- The Hyperdunk is the world¶s lightest basketball
shoe and was broadcasted to the world when Kobe wore them during the Olympics.
Since then, Nike has come up with the Hyperize, very similar to the Hyperdunk in
terms of weight as well as Kobe¶s signature shoe, the zoom IV¶s.

As a direct competitor to Nike, Adidas played on this phenomenon by releasing their

own shoe which could steal the thunder away from the Hyperdunks. Grabbing
emerging all star point guard derrick rose from the Chicago Bulls, Adidas desired to
position its product and capture those who yearned for a more lightweight shoe
from the Adidas brand. As defined by Kotler in our marketing book, positioning ³is
arranging for a product to occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place relative to
competing products in the minds of target consumers.´ In essence, the main
question is, why would consumers chose the Addidas TS creator lows¶ as featured
on the commercial below. After watching you will find out«

Referring back to Dr. J¶s summarizing position slide: we our provided with the
following template
³To (target market), X is the brand of (frame of reference) that (benefit/point of
difference) because of (product attribute)´

Applying what we have learned from the commercial, or at least what I have
learned/perceived, we should choose Adidas not only because Derrick Rose
endorses Adidas, not just because of Adidas new design of a lightweight shoe, and
not just because of its awesome looks, but also because Adidas also offers a variety
of objects that can increase not only speed, but perhaps overall play.

A lightweight shoe ³leads to´ more quickness, the techfit powerweb calf sleeve
retains energy which allows you to jump higher, and the speedwrap anklebrace
provides a player with 5x more support which ultimately allows the player to ³be
fearless.´
Hence, with this knowledge, it would appear Adidas summarizing position would be
(just for the shoe itself):
- ³To [basketball players nationwide], Adidas is the brand of [basketball shoes] that
provides improved quickness because of its superior and unique lightweight
design.´

In all, i believe this was a great example of positioning, and even strategy. This was
"a complete contingent plan", as defined in lecture today. Not only did Adidas
reveal its own version of a lightweight basketball shoe, BUT, it also included 'add
ons', or products that could work well with, or go hand in hand, with the shoe.

Francis Legaspi
Posted by Marketing 301 Blog at 4:47 PM

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Brian Chu said...

Nike's brand inertia has affixed me to its company whenever I evaluate my alternatives,

especially when buying basketball shoes. I currently own two pairs of Nike's Hyperdunk and
never thought of owning another pair of shoes for the next half a year or so. That being said,
that was a pretty sick Adidas commercial, being that I am a D-Rose fan. Although I will
probably not buy his shoe, the advertisement has effectively grabbed my attention and when
presented with the opportunity, I will probably try on a pair at a Foot Locker or Champs
Sports. I'm sure Adidas realizes that they can't convert all the Nike loyalists, but they can at
least hope for them to be more open-minded about their brand. It definitely worked on me.
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