The Kardashianization of sportswear marketing, where individual star power outshines club or national loyalties, is on full display as industry giants Nike Inc. and Adidas AG battle for World Cup dominance. Some 45 seconds into Nike’s six-minute ad depicting a promotional football video shoot descending into chaos, one of the production staff utters: “Kim’s here.” And while Kim Kardashian appearing in the promo with soccer-mad son Saint has raised eyebrows, it really shouldn’t: Nike has a high-profile joint venture with her Skims brand, and the reality TV star’s presence is emblematic of the current trend.
Nike’s Rip the Script ad is full of cameos, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba. But France’s Kylian Mbappe opens the action and takes a good chunk of the screen time, with supporting roles from Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and a final shot from Norway’s Erling Haaland. Adidas’s Backyard Legends promo is led by Timothée Chalamet, with appearances from Lionel Messi and David Beckham. But it’s Spain’s 18-year-old Lamine Yamal who takes on a group of street football players for Chalamet’s team, along with England’s Jude Bellingham and American women’s player Trinity Rodman.
With France and Spain tournament favorites, and Bank of America Corp. analysts predicting that Mbappe will be the top scorer and Yamal the leading player , the casting of the two soccer stars captures the rivalry both on and off the pitch. The World Cup, which kicks off Thursday in Mexico City, is Nike’s to lose : Not only is the competition taking place on its home turf, Yamal has struggled with injury, leaving more room for Mbappe to shine, while the Financial Times described Norway, anchored by Haaland’s goal-scoring prowess, as the dark horse of the tournament.
Rip The Script suggests that, under Chief Executive Officer Elliott Hill, Nike is regaining its marketing prowess, with a blockbuster ad aimed at inserting it back into the intersection of sport and culture. YouTube comments were largely positive, in contrast to Nike’s campaign for the Boston Marathon, which was replaced after a swift backlash for being elitist . The World Cup promo generated $31.2 million in value for the US brand in 48 hours, according to social-media data tracker Launchmetrics, almost twice as much as Adidas’s Backyard Legends ’ $17 million.
Hill told analysts in March that this year’s competition represents a way to expand football sales for years to come, part of his strategy to succeed in the sort of shoes and apparel worn for sport, known as performance wear. “Winning in football goes beyond winning the World Cup,” he said. Nike also needs to sell product, including boots, team kits and football inspired streetwear, through collaborations with labels including British skateboard brand Palace and French fashion house Jacquemus.
But Nike faces fierce competition from Adidas. For the German company’s CEO Bjoern Gulden, the World Cup offers a way to solidify Adidas’s lead in the type of footwear and garments where football meets fashion, and also extend the success of its record-breaking Marathon shoes into other types of performance gear. Gulden is particularly focused on expanding in US sports, including American football, basketball and baseball, part of his strategy to double Adidas’s US sales to $10 billion. With Adidas’s football heritage, it tends to outperform in soccer. It also provides the official match balls.
Adidas said in April that demand in the run up to the event helped sales of football-related products increase by almost 50% in its first quarter. Nike investors will be looking for a similar acceleration when it reports at the end of this month.
Of course, Nike and Adidas aren’t the only sportswear brands aiming to generate exposure and sales from the competition. Puma SE sponsors Portugal and Morocco; CEO Arthur Hoeld wants to establish the company as one of the world’s top three sports brands. And he will have more clout, now that China’s Anta Sports Products Ltd is taking a 29% stake in the company.
English basketball star OG Anunoby has raised the profile of Skechers this week, with the New York Knicks forward wearing its shoes in the team’s first trip to the NBA Finals in almost three decades. But the company, acquired by 3G Capital Partners for $9.4 billion last year, also has a deal with England football captain Harry Kane. Privately held New Balance has a big soccer business; its star players are England’s Bukayo Saka and Brazil’s Endrick.
But Nike probably has the most riding on the World Cup. Some 18 months into Hill’s tenure as CEO, the pace of the company’s turnaround is proving frustratingly slow, with the stock at its lowest level for more than a decade. If Hill’s strategic blueprint doesn’t start to produce results soon, investors may have to accept that with nimble rivals, such as On Holding AG in the running category and Adidas gaining traction everywhere, Nike may never be the force that it once was.
At least critics aren’t ripping apart Rip the Script and its star Mbappé. At this critical juncture for Nike, that counts as a win.
More from Bloomberg Opinion:
-
At Mexico's World Cup, Fret About Cars, Not Cartels : JP Spinetto
-
World Cup Could Be a Win for Soccer Diplomacy : Andreas Kluth
-
Timothée Chalamet Hangs Up His Nikes for Adidas : Opinion Wrap
Want more from Bloomberg Opinion? OPIN <GO> . Or subscribe to our daily newsletter .