Adidas: After the Olympics, the store opened to more Chinese counties

- Interview with Adidas Global CEO Herbert Heiner

Standing at the headquarters of Adidas in the German town of Herzogenaurach, you will find many interesting phenomena.

In a German company, this may be the best person to keep the body. The elements of the sport seem to be everywhere - there is a 100-meter runway in front of the headquarters building, and even the lampshades of the street lamps are designed with three classic white lines.

In the interior dining room, a sun shines from a transparent ceiling that resembles Adi's latest sports material, Stellar Skynet, and is silhouetted against the huge photo of football star Kaka.

It is Herbert Hainer who heads this sports brand company. As the global CEO of Adidas, the photos hanging from the wall in his work area are more like the portrayal of sports history. Only the commercial books such as "Blue Ocean Strategy" placed from one side can appreciate the identity of his manager.

In this unique style of office, Hainer explained Adidas' Olympic strategy and his views on the Chinese sports market.

Sports contract

"21st Century": As the protagonist of the recent advertising campaign in Beijing, Adidas signed players such as Fei Fei, Hu Jia and others are not very good, and Zheng Zhi's Chinese football team once again stopped the World Cup. Facing this dilemma, what do you think about the Beijing Olympics advertising strategy?

Heiner: First of all, I hope that these athletes and injured athletes who are not competitive can quickly find their competitive status. Participating in the Beijing Olympic Games is the best opportunity in their professional career.

However, when adidas signed up for these sports stars, not only did they win the gold medal but they did not care if they scored. We signed them because they proved that they are the best stars in the world. The movement itself is full of variables, so while we are facing this variable, what Adidas actually signed is a sports contract.

"21st Century": For the Olympic Games, Chinese audiences may expect more gold medals. Some people think that Nike-sponsored teams or athletes are more capable of winning gold. Is this a threat to you?

Heiner: This is not a big problem for us because when the national anthem was played on the podium, the athlete’s award service was Adidas. I believe that the timing of this shot is much longer than the athlete wearing Other branded clothes to complete 100 meters of running. Of course, TV and outdoor advertising are also strategies that make us successful. Wearing our clothes on the podium is just a means.

"21st Century": Can you tell us about Adidas' plan to expand stores in China?

Haina: Adidas will have 6,300 stores by 2010; it will open 1,135 retail stores in 2008; Reebok will increase from 800 today to 2,200 by 2010. Regarding the number of stores opened by the Adidas brand, 97% is the Performance series and 3% is the Original series represented by the Shamrock logo.