Adidas, the German sports goods maker is in a competition with its rival , as it has become the Olympics games official partner in Beijing to tighten up its clutch China. But according to rumors Nike has come up with some nonofficial tactics.














While Adidas invested tens of millions of dollars becoming an official sponsor of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, its rival Nike secured sponsorships of some of the most visible athletes in several ways. Nike has employed for the event what is commonly referred to as "ambush marketing."

Nike spokesperson Derek Kent says the company decided to focus on athletes rather than the event itself is because it is "looking to connect people to the brand via the athletes they admire." He describes the athlete-centric focus as working "exceedingly well."

The concept of ambush advertising isn't new. Chen Feng, a spokesperson for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), defined it in a June press conference as "attempts by firms that are not official Olympic sponsors to associate their products with the event so they can capitalize on the connection without paying for the right to do so."In fact, as far back as the 1984 Games in Los Angeles—when Kodak snuck around the ad dominance of Fuji , the Games' official sponsor, by sponsoring the Games' TV broadcasts—nonofficial sponsors of the Olympics and other large sporting events have been finding ways to grab some of the action.

Politics With the ads

Adidas is relying partly on Beijing to combat this problem. BOCOG, the city's Olympic governing committee, began cracking down on rogue advertisements in late 2007, removing outdoor ads that gave the impression that nonsponsors were official sponsors of the Games.

Now Adidas to keep watch and report violations of ambush ads to BOCOG.

At the same time, with its sponsorship coming at such a high premium, Adidas needs to make the Chinese people aware of its official status. "The Olympics are in our DNA," says Erica Kerner, director of Adidas' 2008 Olympic Program. Because the Games are such an integral part of the Adidas brand, she adds, it's worth the cost to keep Adidas connected to the Games.

New strategy of Adidas

To keep its brand in people's minds, Adidas is relying heavily on an online campaign to spread its "Impossible Is Nothing" slogan in the digital world. The strategy includes user-generated videos and online trading cards featuring athletes and other Olympics-oriented images. Those features won't go away once the Games end. Instead, videos and cards will be used in future Adidas-sponsored events, according to the company.

Sponsors are also looking to expand their physical presence—and not just in the host city. In July, Adidas opened a massive brand center in Beijing, the biggest Adidas store in the world. By the end of this year, the company intends to open another 5,000 stores around China.

Sources 1, 2