adidas is one of the giants of the sportswear market. Its market capitalisation is $60 billion, it operates in 150 markets, advertises in 120 and claims an 8-9% market share compared to market leader Nike’s 11%. It claims to have grown far faster than the overall sporting goods category over the past five years (40% v 8%), so when its global media director says the brand has struggled with marketing effectiveness, it comes as a bit of a surprise.
“That’s not a humble brag,” maintains Simon Peel – it’s only over the last few years that adidas has started...