Nike v Adidas – a World Cup style battle

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Nike v Adidas – a World Cup style battle

The World Cup is all about numbers. Which team scored the most goals? Who has enough points to reach the knockout stage?

It’s the same with marketing – which product has the biggest market capitalization? Simply put, who sells more?

It always comes down to numbers.

World Cup Ads

Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James are among the names appearing in Nike’s Rip World Cup ad.

Adidas’ Backyard Legends offer doesn’t skimp on A-List talent with Lamine Yamal, Jude Bellingham, Lionel Messi and Zinedine Zidane all featured. Even AI David Beckham makes an appearance.

They look more like Hollywood blockbusters than traditional commercials and those stars don’t come cheap.

The German company spent a whopping £50m making theirs, according to reports. Neither company will reveal how much they spent (we asked), but you can be sure the bills will be in the tens of millions.

Eye-watering budgets are nothing new, but this year both Nike and Adidas have gone bigger and bolder than ever.

Judging by YouTube views alone, there is only one winner at the time of writing.

Nike has generated 76 million impressions with Adidas’ ad about seven million.

Camilo Andrade, vice president and general manager of Nike Global Football, said: “What has changed is the pace and shape of the culture. In the digital age, stories move faster, are divided faster, and are reinterpreted faster. That means that the old model of one polished film that does all the work is no longer enough.

“With Rip The Script, we’ve created something expansive: a football universe that lives both digitally and in real life.

“With this campaign in particular, success would not be measured only by how many people watched the film, but rather how we open up the world to give fans, actors and creators something that they can translate, repackage and move forward themselves.

“When that starts to happen, you know that the job goes beyond advertising and becomes part of football culture.”

Adidas has been associated with the World Cup since 1970 when it created the Telstar match ball which is the trademark of the tournament.

Florian Alt, vice president of marketing communications, product and operations, said: “Our campaign, Backyard Legends, evoked a scene familiar to anyone who has played football – a local stadium, an undefeated team and stories that become legends.

“And through that campaign we’re meeting consumers where they are – whether they’re watching on TV, following their favorite athletes on social media, or engaging with the culture that a game creates.”

Adidas up in New York City?

With the battle for World Cup attention well underway, Adidas appears to be making a strong start in New York.

In Soho, the contrast between the two sportswear giants is striking. Adidas and Nike flagship stores face each other, but only one feels immersed in the competition.

Adidas has emblazoned its store with World Cup branding, with soccer shirts and tournament merchandise front and center. Across the street, Nike is focused, understandably, on the New York Knicks following their recent NBA title success.

However, that difference goes beyond the two stores.

Around Manhattan, the Adidas logo was hard to miss, from dedicated World Cup banners to small advertising stands and advertisements throughout the city. Its performance also felt ambitious, making a strong sense that the competition was here.

Part of that may be down to how Adidas has entered football culture beyond the pitch.

Its latest shirt designs have found a fashion and streetwear audience, especially among young fans from the football community.

Shirts like the Japan and Curacao have become identity statements as well as team merchandise, helping Adidas to blur the line between football apparel and everyday fashion.

Down the line, those shirts seem more visible than similar Nikes, even the Oregon-based company that produces the jersey for the US national team.

It’s an early photo but in the home country of Nike, Adidas is currently leading the race for attention.

‘Long lost friends’

World Cup ads have entertained us – and helped boost brand profits – for years. There was a memorable airport scene ad for the Brazilian team from France ’98, not to forget Adidas’ Jose +10 offered in 2006 where two children created their dream teams by choosing their favorite footballers.

Sports brand strategist James Kirkham says ads like this still resonate with fans.

“We talk about those old ads like long-lost friends, like movies or TV shows – we have an affinity for them,” he explained.

“These days it is common to see Hollywood actors like Timothee Chalamet driving a taxi in an Adidas location.

“Football is a very familiar symbol. It sits right there with music. It’s a very interconnected tissue. It can be incredibly unifying, but at the same time it sits at the heart of popular culture. Right now music, fashion, basketball, games and design – they all revolve around and revolve around what football is.”

Social media plays a big role as well.

“Everyone says TV is dead but the truth is TV is everything. TV is everywhere. Now it’s like we have a million little TVs. With Instagram reels, shorts, YouTube, TikTok etc we have a culture of attachment.

“It used to be about the length of time and the viewing time. I think it’s different now. You get something out of yourself and now you’re probably going to see parts of yourself.”

Shirts, shoes and signatures

When it comes to World Cup kits, Adidas has 14 compared to Nike’s 12. Puma is close behind at 11, with other companies such as New Balance making up the numbers.

“It’s normal for young fans to follow at least four different countries – they’re rooting for individual players and that means shirt sales.” Kirkham said.

“Football and fashion are now completely intertwined. Whether the players are from Hugo, or whether it’s Jude Bellingham and Gucci or whatever, that crossover is everywhere. It’s expected and normal – and football shirts are at your heart.”

Endorsing boots (or shoes if you’re in North America) is big business with both brands – and many others – looking to sign big names.

All of this equates to bigger pay checks for top players.

According to financial information and media company Bloomberg, Cristiano Ronaldo has a ten-year contract with Nike worth about $18m a year.

Is there anything that can be done at the World Cup?

“The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world so it is very important for us as a sports brand to do our best.” said Adidas’ Alt.

“But Adidas’ success is supporting athletes in a variety of sports, from the grassroots to the big leagues.”

For Nike, football is clearly important.

“When the big football tournaments start, the details are always a reminder of the same thing: football is still the clearest link in the world. Billions against millions.” Nike’s Andrade said.

“The world stops when these moments begin. Therefore, on a global scale, emotional intensity and cultural reach, football remains in a world of its own.”

Let’s not forget, both Nike and Adidas are businesses with market share and revenue at the core of what they do.

The question of who sells the most sportswear is something we cannot accurately measure yet. Finding that out won’t happen until long after the World Cup is launched.

In the end it always comes back to the numbers.

Photo production by Nathan Edwards