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Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy and Marketing Mix
Company Case 16
Adidas: Athletic Apparel With Purpose
Synopsis
Global athletic footwear and apparel giant adidas has established itself as a leader in
just about every sport. But the area that the company has achieved the most greatness has
little to do with basketball, baseball, or even soccer. Adidas has emerged as one of the
global leaders in sustainable practices. Last year, the Germany-based sports giant ranked
third among the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations. While many companies have
attempted to jump on board where sustainability practices, such are engrained in adidas’s
DNA and have been for a long time. In fact, adidas strongly contends that having a
strategic plan built on sustainable practices has made it a better financial performer.
Teaching Objectives
The teaching objectives for this case are to:
1. Define sustainable marketing.
2. Understand the common social criticisms of marketing.
3. Apply the five principles of sustainable marketing.
4. Analyze a product according to the Social Classification of Products.
5. Gain a perspective on corporate and organizational objectives that goes beyond
making a profit.
Discussion Questions
1. Give as many examples as you can for how adidas defies the common social
criticisms of marketing.
Shoddy, harmful, and unsafe products. There is no basis for this where adidas is
Planned obsolescence. Focusing on sustainable materials in its products and
Too few social goods. A strong focus on people (employees and communities).
2. Of the five sustainable marketing principles discussed in the text, which one best
describes adidas’s approach?
The sustainable marketing principle that seems to best fit adidas based on the
information provided is societal marketing. This is clearly a company that has
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Part 3: Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy and Marketing Mix
3. Analyze adidas’s business according to the Societal Classification of Products
(Figure 16.4).
Adidas products definitely have high immediate appeal. That classifies the
products as either pleasing products or desirable products. The question then is,
which one? Do adidas products hurt consumers in the long run? Given that they
are fashion products, a case can be made that such products hurt society because
4. Would adidas be more financially successful if it were not so focused on social
responsibility? Explain.
This is the age-old question—can a company do well by doing good? The case
sites many companies that think that it is not only possible but that they are doing
it. But this is a very difficult thing to quantify. Just what portion of a company’s
revenue and profits can be attributed to expenditures on social responsibility or
Teaching Suggestions
Have students get into groups. Give them the task of estimating how many new shoe and
apparel items they purchase in a given year (they can attach a dollar amount as well).
Then have them determine the social and environmental costs of their purchases. Finally,
have them estimate how long they will keep and use their purchased goods. Are the
outcomes of these tasks troubling to them? Is there any reason they should make
reductions in their purchases? How else might they minimize the social and
environmental impact of their clothing purchases?
This case was designed for use with Chapter 16. This case can also be used with the
branding chapter (Chapter 7) and the global marketing chapter (Chapter 15).
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