Hi Huneybees,
Adidas expects to achieve new record sales of € 2 billion in the football category in 2014, the company announced today. “The FIFA World CupTM is the perfect stage to showcase our company, our brands and our products. adidas is the clear no. 1 in football globally – in terms of sales, innovative power and brand visibility. Through the World Cup we will once again underline our leading position and share our passion for the game with fans around the world,” commented Herbert Hainer, CEO of the adidas Group.
As the Official Sponsor, Supplier and Licensee of the 2014 FIFA World CupTM, adidas will again supply the Official Ball of the tournament and equip officials, referees, volunteers and ball kids.
Starting in the second half of 2013, adidas will be launching a constant stream of new and innovative football products for the World Cup. “We will use the World Cup to prove our great football expertise and to show fans the technological know-how and creativity that adidas consistently delivers at the cutting edge of football, again underlining our leadership in innovation. We create technologies that help players and teams unlock their potential, building products that are the very best for the athletes. For the World Cup, adidas will again be one step ahead,” explained Markus Baumann, Senior Vice President adidas Football.
In Latin America, the adidas Group has performed extraordinarily well over the past decade – driven by the adidas brand, where sales have grown at strong double-digit rates every year since 2002. With the Confederations Cup and the World Cup creating another strong push, adidas expects continuous and solid double-digit sales growth in Latin America in the years to come.
Over the past few months, adidas has enjoyed strong successes in football: Lionel Messi has been awarded the FIFA Ballon d´Or as the best player of the year for the fourth time in a row, Chelsea FC won an all adidas final in the UEFA Europa League and FC Bayern Munich was recently crowned UEFA Champions League winner. At the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, four out of eight teams are equipped by adidas: the World and European Champion Spain, Asian Champion Japan, CONCACAF Champion Mexico and the 2013 Africa Cup winner Nigeria. Japan was also the very first team to qualify the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil.
While celebrating with fans on the ground in Brazil in 2014, adidas will also export the excitement surrounding the World Cup to football fans all around the globe, leveraging point-of-sale and digital communication with a strong focus on social media.
