Adidas Brand Collabs: How Adidas Grows Marketshare with Brand Partnerships

Collaboration is so much a part of the Adidas corporate culture that it is written on the wall at their Portland headquarters.

Global Creative Director Dirk Schonberger describes Adidas as a “melting pot of different cultures,” and we agree. Adidas’ universal aesthetic acts a blank canvas that allows any brand to express their unique identity. This quality lets Adidas stand out as a leader in the world of partnerships.

Music Meets Sportswear 

Adidas’ 1986 collaboration with Run-DMC was the first-ever partnership between a musical act and a sportswear company. Adidas sponsored the music group and also created a co-branded clothing line featuring their logo. With this partnership, Adidas reached a new demographic of consumers interested in using their wardrobe to rep their affinity for hop hop.

Adidas Rediscovers Success with Kayne West

From 2006 to 2015, Adidas watched its sneaker market share fall from 8% to 2%. They made the mistake of flooding the market with too many musical partnerships and fans eventually got bored. Without a clear strategy, Adidas lost its cultural relevance and was no longer considered ‘cool.’

In 2013, Adidas launched the Boost, an exciting new shoe with a cushioning technology that gave runners extra energy. To promote it, they signed a collaboration deal with Kayne West after he became dissatisfied with Nike. With a new focus, Adidas saw its market share jump from 6% 12% in a single year. The Yeezy Boost became the 9th highest-selling sneaker in the US.

Adidas Brand Collaborations in Fashion

Adidas has collaborated with various designers over the years - including Alexander Wang, Jeremy Scott, Raf Simmons, and Stella McCartney.

2003 marked the successful launch of the Y3 brand, a collaboration between Adidas and Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto. The Y3 brand incorporated intricate design and classic style to target a new audience of consumers interested in both sports and high-end fashion 

The Y3 collaboration brought tremendous success for both brands by exposing them to an audience that neither could reach on their own. The Y3 success would also be the catalyst that brought Kayne West to Adidas from Nike in 2013.

Adidas’ 2019 collaboration with Beyonce was another win for the books.Beyonce was looking to relaunch her clothing line, Ivy Park, and felt that Adidas would be the perfect fit. Before their first launch, Beyonce sent the shoes to 20 friends to share with their followers on social media. At the launch, Adidas sold out within minutes.

Health and Wellness Adidas Brand Partnerships

Taking advantage of the pandemic fitness boom, Adidas and Peloton introduced the SS21 collection of apparel in March 2021. Peloton is a household name in advanced stationary bikes and treadmills. Their collaboration positioned both brands to capitalize on the continued growth of the wellness market.

Adidas Brand Collabs with Ninja

As a world-class eGamer, Ninja has changed the perception of gaming by connecting with consumers outside of the gaming subculture. In August 2019, Adidas and Ninja announced a partnership that united sportswear and gaming.

Originally launched in 1980 as the Nite Jogger, the ‘Time In’ Nite Jogger collaboration celebrates the hours spent by creators developing their skills.

This is a great of example of how brand collaborations can easily revamp an existing product for a whole new audience.

Adidas Co-Marketing with Ravi

In 2022, Adidas partnered with Ravi, a family-owned destination restaurant in Dubai. This partnership marks the  first of eleven community-focused restaurant collabs in Adidas’ new project, “adilicious.”

The collaboration series tells the unique story of each restaurant through footwear. The Superstar Ravi comes in Ravi’s classic colors of white and green and features selected items from the menu printed inside each shoe.

Adidas Brand Partnerships for the Environment

First launched in 2015, Adidas Parley products are made using recycled plastic from the ocean. Parley for the Oceans turns recycled ocean plastic into thread, which is then woven into shoes and apparel. This partnership positions Adidas as an eco-conscious brand while also bringing awareness to the environmental efforts of Parley for the Oceans.

Collaboration Works

Collaborations let brands show their customers what they want to tell them outright. Partners offer validation that can’t be achieved through other forms of marketing.  Although successful brand collaborations seem obvious in hindsight, at inception they rarely are. The key is to define your current and desired audience and reach out to players that already have it. 

A brand x brand collaboration aims to create something special that grabs the customer’s attention in a saturated marketplace. Collaborations allow brands to realize success that neither could have achieved with their own efforts.