Creative innovation trends in the sports fashion brands communication through Nike and Adidas Cristina Sánchez-Blanco Jorge Del Río
Fashion, in its communicative dimension, has attracted great interest in recent years because of the new opportunities offered by digital technologies and social tools through which it is expressed (Soloaga Diaz, 2007; Tungate, 2008). Fashion brands are leaders, from the creative and strategic point of view, of a cultural revolution that is transforming "deeply and intimately, the way we communicate" (Segarra, 2009: 153). Regarding the sports industry, Nike and Adidas are among the most powerful brands in the world (Badenhausen, 2012). For example, Nike's global sales amounted to nearly 24,000 million dollars in 2011 and Adidas paid $ 130 million to become the official sportswear supplier for the Olympic Games in London 2012 (Anderson, 2013). Sports brands are generating trends in communications and have helped to improve and innovate both the strategic and the creative trends. As a result of this, in 2003 during the 50th anniversary of the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Philip H. Knight (Chairman, CEO & Co-founder of Nike) was awarded the Advertiser of the Year award, whichrecognizes the quality of Nike’s ads and its influence on creativity in communications. The present study is the first step of a wider analysis and aims to shed some light on the following issues: a) the communications trends used by sports brands; b) the number of used media: how many are used to spread each idea; c) the type or variety of media used for the dissemination of ideas. Nike and Adidas have been chosen as a case study because both of them are included in the Best Global Brands study (as selected by Interbrand last year). Moreover, Nike was the most awarded brand in the Creative International Advertising Festivals in 2013. Fast Company also recognized Nike’s groundbreaking initiatives, calling it the most innovative company in 2013. 1. Introduction From an economic or commercial perspective, fashion is an industry and a business whose mission is to generate wealth through the creation, manufacture and marketing of products and services (Díaz Soloaga, 2007, p. 16). Most industries are turning to marketing and advertising but only fashion is based on marketing in a decisive way (Tungate, 2008, p. 1). Zenith Optimedia, in 2008, stood at 18,500 million dollars in the U.S. and 636 million pounds in the
UK regarding the disbursement that fashion brands have invested in advertising in magazines, of which 4,511 million dollars and 257 million pounds correspond to the promotion of the categories "cosmetics and toiletries" and "clothing and accessoriesâ€? in the U.S. and UK, respectively. The sports industry is a large and rapidly growing business. For example, the U.S. market reached 400,000 million in 2012. This fashion brands distributed sports equipment products needed to practice and enjoy the sport, apparel, footwear, other clothing, etc. raising their influence in the fashion market (MartĂnez, 2013: 1). Although, as a rule, advertising is an expensive way of promoting, to large global brands with a significant promotional budget, it provides high visibility and constitutes one of the primary methods of transmitting and communicating their identity and their brand message (Posner, 2010, p. 161). Thus, for example in 2012, Real Madrid earned $49 million from Adidas and FC Barcelona received $43 million from Nike. Moreover, fashion brands have always been a benchmark in terms of creative and strategic views in a world immersed in a cultural revolution that is transforming "deeply and intimately the way we communicate" (Segarra, 2009, p. 153). Fashion in general and the world of brands in particular are cultural narratives where fashion creates culture. The creative and innovative essence of fashion communications has always generated trends for the communications of others brands in the field of advertising. James Daly, from the agency of the fashion brand Fred Perry De Facto, explains that as the digital revolution advances, new communications possibilities with key audiences will arise. In contrast, technology has brought great changes, and those brands that have ignored or neglected this paradigm shift are endangering their own business. From the point of view of advertising recognition, brands as Adidas and Nike have always been among the most awarded for their creativity. For instance, Nike was the brand that achieved more success in major international advertising festivals in 2013 (El Publicista, 2014). In the following analysis, we study how sports brands Adidas and Nike behave in a predominantly technological environment when they develop their communications strategies with their audiences. First, we will take a brief tour through the strategic and creative development in the field of business communications, and we will highlight the most relevant changes and recent trends. Based on this reflection, and thanks to studies by Kolster (2012) and Himpe (2006), we will establish the variables and the sample field study. Finally, the results will determine what are the most important and innovative communications trends of the two brands and their similarities and differences from a strategic and creative point of view.
2. A brief review through the strategic and creative development in the field of business communications Over 50 years ago marketing communications was a monologue of rational arguments and power was "in the hands of manufacturers" (Garcia, 2007, p. 29). Products were just products and the strategies followed by agencies when writing the monologue script had a name: Unique Selling Proposition (USP). When brands emerged, so did the challenge of differentiating products as two drops of water (Roberts, 2004, p. 30)- and the strategies based on rational elements lost ground. The consumer assumed that the products were good because of the quality assurance. The emotional aspects conquered a space in their purchasing decisions. However, consumers still did not have the opportunity to talk with their brands. The monologue prevailed and agencies were only seeking strategies, such as more moving and emotional language for their unilateral communications. This new movement brought new strategic formulations. For example, Euro RSCG designed the Star Strategy, a philosophy which regarded the products as people "not only for an attributefront positioning method or single-benefit, but for their overall personality" (Hernandez, 1999, p. 149) or Emotional Selling Proposition (ESP) that sought to find an emotional argument or nickname consumer should associate with the product, which would become an incentive to buy (Ricarte, 2000, p. 55). Today, technology and interactivity developments have developed and conversations between brands and consumers have become more complex (Segarra, 2009, p. 153). Advertising saturation, the disappearance of passive consumers and the advent of a new one that can escape advertisements, and the emergence of new media have created a situation of uncertainty and crisis in the advertising field. Previously, the brand spoke and the consumer listened; they could not answer and were isolated. Now, the way we communicate has changed: the consumer is the “bossâ€?. They have become an active subject, they seek, and live communication and even expand it (GarcĂa, 2007, p. 84). This unknown territory has demanded a new approach when developing strategic solutions for brands: smart strategies that require more knowledge, understanding and respecting the consumer; exchange strategies where both sides benefit and where emotion should prevail in the communications that the brands perform. Upon those lines, Kevin Roberts, while leading global agency Saatchi & Saatchi, raised an insight on how brands should meet and build the relationship with the active consumer: Lovemarks. Lovemarks transcend brands, as they go beyond brands and beyond consumer expectations. Lovemarks reach not only the consumer's mind, but also their heart, creating an intimate, emotional relationship. Another example of this trend is observed in the global agency Leo Burnett. This agency has begun to work under a strategic prism dubbed Human
Kind whose fundamental pillar is the knowledge of the human being in all its aspects. Once the strategy is set, the time comes to decide how it is going to be sold. It is necessary to say what everyone else has already said but in a way that no one has told it before. In film, song and literature, there are certain expressive elements or trends that become fashionable. In many cases, these thematic trends are influenced by the lifelines where society advances. In advertising, the same is applied. Earlier this century, the consumer, especially due to the rapid technological development, began to feel the need to enjoy the scarce time they had. Therefore, they are very demanding when deciding how to employ their leisure time and, besides, they are constantly in pursuit of fun and consuming emotions. Advertising, thus, now navigates the market of leisure, entertainment, cultural movements and fiction content (Garc铆a, 2007). Terms like advertainment, advergaming, viral, street marketing appeared in the late last century and early this century to respond to this new reality. For the past five years, the advertising business, communications and consumers are living in a strange time where new ways to communicate are emerging (Solana, 2010, p. 19). However, the global advertising profession has difficulties to glimpse the right path to adapt to the new communications culture (Sacks, 2010). As noted by Del Pino, Castell贸 and Ramos-Soler (2013, p. 16) we are witnessing a new way of understanding the advertising message "in which from the approach to implementation, the rules are written while internalized in the context of digital language." Even today, it is no longer enough to offer non-intrusive advertising as entertainment or informational content of interest with relevance to the public. Now consumers want brands to master the art of storytelling and to make them feel unique experiences. Thus, brands achieve a place on the intimate memory of consumers because the stories are the lifeblood of good content and brands should use content to find ways to connect emotionally with their audiences. Advertisers strive to create spaces where their brand and/or product will be integrated into the content: brands create their own content to share with their audiences (Pino, Castell贸 and Ramos-Soler, 2013, p. 62; Iezzi, 2010, p. 53).
3. Methodology As described in the previous sections, sociocultural changes, technological innovation and interactivity, as well as the strength of brands and the active power and role of consumers have transformed the way we communicate and how brands are proposing their communication strategies. Creativity is
determined to achieve the creation of meeting places, cultivating the relationship and the development of communication products with a strong ability to attract the consumer (Solana, 2010). Communication strategies develop ideas for authentic and emotional relationships in the long term between brands and consumers. The objective of this research is to detect, analyze and highlight key strategies and communications activities, digital advertising formats and narratives that fashion brands are currently applying for their consumers. We have chosen Contagious Magazine in order to develop the content analysis, because it shows and selects the brightest and most effective branding and marketing ideas from all over the world four times a year. There is a common sense related to the relevance of this magazine. “Over the last decade our award-winning quarterly print publication has been the definitive record of innovative brand thinking. In an industry struggling to separate the signal from the noise, Contagious magazine is a curated, measured review of the most important developments driving marketing, business, design and creativity” (Contagious, 2014). Besides, Mike Cookson, Media Director Europe & Global Football at Nike, stated: “Contagious Magazine is now an integral part of my working life, always my first stop for amazing innovation and inspiration across the world.” We have studied the magazine from 2009 to 2012. Thereby, we examined 16 numbers in which there were 952 campaigns, from which 33 were about Nike and 13 about Adidas. In each campaign we have considered the 23 media that Contagious selects: mobile, integrated, new technologies, digital outdoor, retail, online, ambient and guerrilla, app, event, branded utility, user generated content, web film, branded entertainment, viral, interactive tv, social media, gaming, banners & rich media, sponsorship, music video, tv, and print. Moreover, we have compared these media with 5 main variables to five communications trends after having studied some sources: -
Bernardin, Tom y Tutssel, Mark (2010). Humankind. New York: PowerHouse.
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Himpe, Tom (2007). La publicidad ha muerto: larga vida a la publicidad. Barcelona: Blume
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Kolster, Thomas (2012). Goodvertising: creative advertising that cares. London: Thames & Hudson.
The 5 items we have chosen are the following ones:
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Contagious: to what extent ideas can be shared.
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Entertaining: the idea sets out a challenge, a game for people’s entertaining.
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Useful: the idea solves a person’s need.
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Co-creative: the idea shows how the brand loses control and how the target enriches the product through generated content with images, videos and other actions.
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Social: does the brand look for people and engage them instead of talking to them from afar?
4. Results and conclusions After setting the background, our three main research questions were: A. How many media do Nike and Adidas use? B. Which types of media do Nike and Adidas apply to their storytelling campaigns? C. Which are the main communications trends employed by Nike and Adidas in their storytelling campaigns? A. How many media do Nike and Adidas use?
41.3% storytelling campaigns have used 3 media. Both Nike and Adidas use, on average, 2 or 3 media in each of the 46 campaigns analyzed.
We can conclude that, as opposed to other brands that are developing transmedia communications based on a large number of media, Nike and Adidas produce their ideas only in 2 or 3 media. B. Which types of media do Nike and Adidas apply in their storytelling campaigns?
In the 33 Nike campaigns we have studied, the brand used 89 media, from which the most relevant ones are: o Online: 13.5% o Web film: 11.2% o Viral: 9% o Social media: 7.9% o Event: 7.9% In the 13 Adidas campaigns we have studied, the brand used 33 media, from which the most relevant ones are:
o o o o o
Online: 12.5% Branded entertainment: 12.5% Viral: 12.5% Websites and microsites: 9.4% Sponsorships: 9.4%
As observed, there is no predominant medium applied by Nike and Adidas. None of the media dominates and the media relevance is shared between different types. Although we have seen that these brands use 2 or 3 media in each campaign, we can realize that the actual choice of media changes from one campaign to another. C. Which are the main communications trends employed by Nike and Adidas in their storytelling campaigns? In this sense, the most important communications trends applied to the Nike and Adidas campaigns are contagious, entertaining, social, co-creative and useful.
As observed in the chart above, the most important communications trends are contagious, entertaining and co-creative. Going over each brand,  
Nike has adopted more contagious and co-creative communications. The Adidas selection focuses on a contagious, entertaining and social communication.
In conclusion, after having studied the Nike and Adidas campaigns chosen by Contagious Magazine from 2009 to 2012, we can point out that:   
These brands apply 2 or at the most 3 media in each campaign. There is not a single media applied. There are 5 communications trends used in the same way but the trends related to a contagious, co-creative and entertaining communication are highlighted.
This analysis shows that it would be very interesting to follow up the research through 2013 and 2014 in order to understand whether these communications trends change over time. As we have seen, this is a small focus of a wider study. Thus, a comparison of these brands to other sport fashion brands is recommended in order to examine the most persistent communications trends in the sector.