Adidas, Nike, Puma, and Under Armour

-A Communications AnalysisBy Lindsey Drilling

Industry

• Fashion Industry

• The fashion industry primarily consists of making and selling clothes but also includes clothing design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, advertising, retailing, and promotion of all apparel.

List of Issues for the Fashion Industry with Media Coverage

• Patent Infringement

• Labor Issues in their Factories

• New Product Releases

• Athletes, professional athletic teams or other celebrities using their products

• Hiring new professionals into their C-Suite

About Adidas

• Founded on August 18, 1949 in Herzogenaurach, Germany.

• Publicly Owned, originally founded by Adi Dassler

• Key Products: Athletic Apparel and Sporting Equipment

• Subsidiaries: Reebok, Runtastic, TaylorMade-Adidas, Ashworth

• CEO: Kasper Rørsted

Adidas Key Challenges and News Stories

• Challenges: Rethink its marketing plan to maintain brand availability, inventory turnover and profit growth, Maintain connections with star athletes and sports teams, and Win Back Dominance in the United States

• Key News: Joins fight against marine plastic pollution by releasing first-ever Parleyeave adidas Z.N.E. Hoodie made with Parley Ocean Plastic™ yarn, Anticipates slower sales and profit loss, Closing stores in a shift to online stores, Security Breach

About Nike

• Began in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports, Company renamed Nike in 1978.

• Nike introduced in 1972 as a shoe line.

• Publicly owned, originally founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight

• Key Products: Athletic Apparel, Sporting Equipment, and Sports Technology Accessories

• Subsidiaries: Air Jordan, Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley, Nike Golf, and Umbro

• CEO: Mark Parker

Nike Key Challenges and News Stories

• Challenges: Maintaining Rising Stock, Lost Rodger Federer

• Key News: Top Executives depart because of workplace behavioral issues, Problems with hiring women and minorities, Will not supply Iranian World Cup team with shoes because of economic sanctions, Stock Increases, World Cup

About Puma

• Founded on October 1, 1948 in Germany

• Publicly Owned, Originally founded by Rudolf Dassler, brother of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler, after the brothers had a dispute.

• Key Products: Athletic Apparel and Sporting Equipment

• Subsidiaries: Cobra Golf, Dobotex

• CEO: Bjørn Gulden

Puma Key Challenges and New Stories

• Challenges: Former executive receives prison time for insider trading, New partnership with Jay-Z creates a conflict of interest between its involvement with Puma and his sports agency, Roc Nation

• Key News: Signs major shoe deals with NBA Rookies Marvin Bagley III and Michael Porter Jr., Returning to professional basketball with Clyde Court Dispute basketball shoe

About Under Armour

• Founded in 1996

• Publicly Owned, originally founded by Kevin Plank in the basement of his grandmother’s Washington D.C. Georgetown neighborhood house.

• Key Products: Athletic Apparel, Sporting Accessories, and Sporting Equipment

• Subsidiaries: MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, and Endomondo.

• CEO: Kevin Plank

Under Armour Key Challenges and News Stories

• Challenges: Loss of sales and lack of revenue in the United States market

• Key News: Female Executives are taking the lead in the athletic market during the #MeToo movement, Offers paid internships even though there is a federal law that makes it easier for companies to not pay interns

Objectives

• Evaluate each company’s performance on social media

• Compare the presence of each company in traditional media outlets

• Discover the key areas of difference in each company’s media presence

• Identify what makes something newsworthy in the athletic apparel industry

Metrics

• Traditional Media Analysis

• News Outlet Variation

• Article Topic Variation

• Favorability

• Social Media Analysis

• Social Media Volume

• Brand Analysis

• Public Opinion

• Online Reviews Analysis

• Point of Purchase

Traditional Media Analysis Metrics Results

News Outlet Variation Metrics Results

News Outlet Variation Metrics Results

News Outlet Variation Metrics Results

News Outlet Variation Metrics Results

Article Topic Variation Metrics Results

Article Topic Variation Metrics Results

Article Topic Variation Metrics Results

Article Topic Variation Metrics Results

Positive Coverage Guidelines

• Contains information about charitable work or initiatives where the company participates

• Company mentioned in the headline or first paragraph of an article has favorable coverage about the company

• Contains more positive information about the company than negative information

• Evokes positive emotions or reactions from the average reader

• Gives the average reader a positive impression of the company

• Contains more positive messaging about the company than negative messaging

• Contains quotes from company sources and third-party sources that enhance the overall image of the company

Neutral Coverage Guidelines

• Company mentioned in headline or lead paragraph of article

• Any product release articles or information

• Does not give the reader any type of emotional connection

• Not many direct quotes

• Gives the reader more background information or indirect quotes

• Contains Balanced Positive and Negative Information

Negative Coverage Guidelines

• Company mentioned in the headline or lead paragraph of a news article that has predominately damaging information

• Contains more negative information about the company then positive

• Evokes a negative emotion from the reader

• Give the average reader a pessimistic view of the company

• Has more negative messaging about the company then positive messaging

• Includes quotes from company sources or other third-party sources that does not enhance the company’s brand or image

• Puts the company in the middle of a controversary or negative situation

• Company spokespeople are mentioned in a scandal or a controversary

Favorability Metrics Results

Favorability Metrics Results

Favorability Metrics Results

Favorability Metrics Results

Social Media Analysis Metrics Results

Data Gathered on July 18, 2018

Social Media Volume Metrics Results

Date Range: June 1, 2018- June 30, 2018

Brand Analysis Metrics Results

• An evaluation of each company’s CEO on social media

• Grading System:

• 1 point- does not have their own profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

• 2 points- has their own profiles on one of the social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, posts at least once a week about company

• 3 points- has their own profiles on two of the social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, posts at least twice a week about company

• 4 points- has their own profiles on two of the social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, posts at least 4-5 times a week about the company

• 5 points- has their own profile on all of the social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, posts 5-6 times a week about the company

CEO Evaluation: Adidas

CEO Kasper Rørsted

Facebook None

Facebook Posts Per Week N/A

Twitter None

Twitter Posts Per Week N/A

Instagram None

Instagram Posts Per Week N/A

Total Points 1 Point

CEO Evaluation: Nike

CEO Mark Parker

Facebook None

Facebook Posts Per Week N/A

Twitter None

Twitter Posts Per Week N/A

Instagram None

Instagram Posts Per Week N/A

Total Points 1 Point

CEO Evaluation: Puma

CEO Bjørn Gulden

Facebook None

Facebook Posts Per Week N/A

Twitter None

Twitter Posts Per Week N/A

Instagram None

Instagram Posts Per Week N/A

Total Points 1 Point

CEO Evaluation: Under Armour

CEO Kevin Plank

Facebook Yes

Facebook Posts Per Week No Posts

Twitter No

Twitter Posts Per Week N/A

Instagram kevinplank_ua

Instagram Posts Per Week 1

Total Points 2 Points

Kevin Plank Facebook

Kevin Plank Instagram

Public Opinion Metrics Results

Online Reviews Analysis Metrics Results

• Better Business Bureau Ratings System:

• Opinion of how the business is likely to interact with its customers

• Rating based on information received from the business and complaints from the public

• Uses information from businesses and public data sources

• Ratings from A+ to F

• BBB will not rate the business (indicated by an NR, or "No Rating”) for reasons that include insufficient information about a business or ongoing review/update of the business’s file.

Online Reviews Analysis Metrics Results

***Taken from the Better Business Bureau Website

Point of Purchase Metrics Results

Subject of Brand Analyses

• Social Media Strategy

• Product Marketing Strategy

Rating Scale for the Social Media Strategy

• 1 point- The company does not put any effort into communicating with customers on social media. There are no public interactions and the company does not respond to positive or negative comments.

• 2 points- The company rarely interacts with customers on social media. It asks customers to communicate with them through private messaging. The company only responds to positive interactions not negative interactions. It takes at least 1 day to get a response from the company.

• 3 points- The company responds to customers on some of their social media platforms. Responses are made within 8 hours of customer contact, but not all questions or complaints are acknowledged.

• 4 points- Company responds to customers on most of their social media profiles. The company response is made within 4 hours of customer interaction. The company helps the customer.

• 5 points- Company responds to customer questions or complaints on all of their social media. The company answers the customers within 2 hours of customer contact. The company helps the customer with what they need within 8 hours of initial contact.

Social Media Strategy Results

Company Facebook Interactions

Twitter Interactions

Instagram Interactions

Total Points

Adidas None None None 1

Nike No public replies, but has the very responsive to private message badge

Yes, replies within a day

None 2

Puma No public replies, but the page says it responds within a few hours

None None 1

Under Armour No public replies, but the page says it responds within a few hours

Yes, replies the same day

Yes replies, the same day

3

Rating Scale for Product Marketing Strategy

• 1 point- The brand does have its own social media, but it rarely used. The brand also has its own section on the corporate website, but not its own website.

• 2 points- The brand has its own social media and posts 1-2 times per week. The brand has its own website, but it is rarely used or updated.

• 3 points- The brand has its own social media and posts 2-3 times per week. The brand has its own website and it is used and updated.

• 4 points- The brand has its own social media and posts 3-4 times per week. The brand has its own website and it is used frequently. The website is updated and easy to use.

• 5 points- The brand has its own social media and posts daily. The content is a variety of articles, videos, and pictures. The brand has its own website and it matches the look of the social media. The website is updated and easy to use.

Product Marketing Strategy Results For Adidas

Brand Facebook Posts on Facebook Per Week

Twitter Posts on Twitter

Per Week

Instagram Instagram Posts Per

Week

Website Total Points

Reebok Yes 10 Yes 18 Yes 15 Yes, Own Website

5

Runtastic Yes 13 Yes 10 Yes 7 Yes, Own Website

5

TaylorMade- Adidas

Yes 6 Yes 47 Yes 22 Yes, Own Website

5

Ashworth No N/A Yes None No N/A Yes, but it is inactive

1

Product Marketing Strategy Results For Nike

Brand Facebook Posts on Facebook Per Week

Twitter Posts on Twitter

Per Week

Instagram Instagram Posts Per

Week

Website Total Points

Air Jordan Yes 8 Yes 8 Yes 1 Yes 3

Cole Haan Yes 1 Yes 0 Yes 6 Yes 1

Converse Yes 0 Yes 2 Yes 7 Yes 1

Hurley Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 3 Yes 1

Nike Golf Yes 0 Yes 0 Yes 1 Yes, has section on Nike Website

1

Umbro Yes 11 Yes 18 Yes 12 Yes 5

Product Marketing Strategy Results For Puma

Brand Facebook Posts on Facebook Per Week

Twitter Posts on Twitter

Per Week

Instagram Instagram Posts Per

Week

Website Total Points

Cobra Golf

Yes 3 Yes 16 Yes 4 Yes 4

Dobotex Yes 0 Yes 0 Yes 0 Yes 1

Product Marketing Strategy Results For Under Armour

Brand Facebook Posts on Facebook Per Week

Twitter Posts on Twitter Per

Week

Instagram Instagram Posts Per

Week

Website Total Points

MapMyFitness Yes 0 Yes 0 No N/A Yes 1

MyFitnessPal Yes 40 Yes 37 Yes 6 Yes 5

Endomondo Yes 6 Yes 6 Yes 0 Yes 4

Survey Results

Responses for Other

• “I don’t purchase athletic apparel.”

• “Anything functional for running that isn't too bright. (not brand specific)”

• “TJ Maxx”

Responses for Other

• “Brand Preference”

• “How it fits me”

• “If my size is available”

• “Fit, fit fit! My body is a unique shape so I prioritize fit over anything. Then I look at the other factors.”

• “Spouse buys my clothing”

• Answered by 48 respondents

• Price

• Design

• Type of Fabric

What influences your decision to NOT Purchase athletic apparel from Adidas, Nike, Puma, and Under Armour?

• Offer a variety of price points

• Good designs

• More style and sizes

• Nice quality (except for athletic shoes)

Thank You!