Brand Positioning and Brand Message Analysis: Nike and Adidas
Module 4 - Case
BRANDING, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND SMALL BUSINESS APPLICATIONS
Assignment Overview
Brands and Loyalty
Few consumers are immune to the lure of brands. Understanding how brands affect individuals will allow us to apply this knowledge on a larger scale.
Case 4 Resources
The importance of branding as a marketing tool: 4 reasons why branding is so important (2022)
https://www(dot)linkedin(dot)com/pulse/importance-branding-marketing-tool-4-reasons-why-so-important-martin/?trk=pulse-article_more-articles_related-content-card
Brand Marketing: What It Is + How to Create your Brand Marketing Strategy (2022)
https://www(dot)coursera(dot)org/articles/brand-marketing
5 Strategies to Create Brand Loyalty (2022)
https://www(dot)fool(dot)com/the-ascent/small-business/social-media/articles/brand-loyalty/
Brand Loyalty (2022) https://www(dot)investopedia(dot)com/terms/b/brand-loyalty.asp
Elements of Brand (2022) https://www(dot)oercommons(dot)org/courseware/lesson/91211/overview
Brand Equity (2022)
https://www(dot)oercommons(dot)org/courseware/lesson/91212/overview
Brand Positioning and Alignment (2022)
https://www(dot)oercommons(dot)org/courseware/lesson/91213/overview
Brand Development Strategies (2022)
https://www(dot)oercommons(dot)org/courseware/lesson/91216/overview
Case Assignment
Brands from a Consumer Perspective
Using the module’s readings and at least one article published in 2020 or 2021 from Business Source Complete (EBSCO), a full-text database, research brands.
Brand Research
Identify one well-known brand and research why consumers are drawn to it. Describe a major competitor of the brand and compare the two brands in terms of positioning.
Are they positioned differently?
What are the points of differentiation? (1 page) Research Required.
Brand Message Analysis
How do the brands communicate with their target market? Analyzing the message strategies now and over time is an excellent exercise to understand how the brand remains successful.
Find an older and one recent commercial for each of the brands. Note: YouTube has numerous vintage and new commercials. New commercials may also be found on the brand’s website. How to cite and reference a YouTube video.
Describe the two commercials and include the video link.
What is the overall message of the brand? Explain in depth. (3/4 of a page for each brand)
Brand Application
Analyze the brand messages. Consider how the messages build brand loyalty. (1/2 page) Research Required.
No quotations are permitted in this paper. Each paragraph (except the introduction and conclusion) must contain at least one in-text citation.
Since you are engaging in research, be sure to cite and reference the sources in APA format. NOTE: failure to use research with accompanying citations to support content will result in reduced scoring “Level 2-Developing” on the grading rubric.
This is a professional paper, not a personal one based on feelings. It must be written in the third person; this means words like “I”, “we”, and “you” are not appropriate.
Assignment Expectations
Use the attached APA-formatted template (MKT301 Case4) to create your submission.
The template is set up in APA 7: double-spacing, font, margins, headings, page breaks, APA help links.
Your submission will include:
Cover page
A paper with APA citations (2- to 3-sentence introduction, 3-page body, 2- to 3-sentence conclusion)
The reference list page in APA format
MKT301 Case 4
Student's Name
University Affiliation
Professor's Name
Course Title
Due Date
MKT301 Case 4
Nike and Adidas may be considered household names when it comes to sports apparel. To stand out, each brand has taken a unique approach toward messaging strategies and the positioning of its brands. This paper will analyze the two brands and investigate how their strategies have evolved over time.
Brand Research
One well-known brand is Nike. The brand deals with sportswear and has a wide range of products. Consumers are drawn to Nike for several reasons. These reasons include a strong brand identity, making high-quality products, aggressive marketing techniques and having a pool of customers who are loyal to the brand. One of the greatest competitors to Nike is Adidas. Adidas is a multinational corporation that deals with athletic shoes, clothing and accessories. Brand positioning plays a crucial role in fostering brand success (Gasparin et al., 2021). The two brands are positioned differently. The following are points of differentiation. Nike has positioned itself as a brand that aims to equip athletes to become the best version of themselves, while Adidas focuses on promoting creativity and individuality. Secondly, Nike majorly focuses on using well-known athletes to promote their products, while Adidas uses designers and other creatives to promote its products. Thirdly, the product lines for the two brands are quite different. Nike has a wide range of high-quality products designed for athletes. On the other hand, Adidas has a relatively lower number of items dedicated to promoting a sense of fashion and individuality.
Brand Message Analysis 1
For Nike, the message greatly lies in portraying their products as of superior quality with the ability to help athletes achieve their goals. This vintage commercial by Mimoun (2014) /watch?v=awLm0Nc5uus, shows Nike promoting its sneakers in the early days, while this ad presented by Torres (2022): (/watch?v=615U7p3ttE4) portrays the modern Nike. One of the phenomenal differences is that the vintage ad contains only one product, while the modern ad contains many products. However, the key brand message remains that of enabling athletes to achieve their goals.
On the other hand, Adidas uses a different approach. In this vintage ad /watch?v=Frwep1T9AO4 (House Of Hoops, 2018), the brand presents itself as one with the ability to improve the productivity of athletes. However, it is clear that the presentation has changed over time. In this modern ad /watch?v=Bv-3Wx2Udb by (Adidas, 2022), the brand presents itself as one concerned with fashion and individualizing the products for athletes, families and other people.
Brand Message Analysis 2
Nike's communication strategy has been to appeal to consumers' concerns by portraying the aspects of performance, innovation and competition. Over the years, Nike has perfected the art of accentuating the above elements. The vintage ad /watch?v=VgVkY-MB-PY (Bond, 2010) and the modern one /watch?v=GbQomqb28os (Nike Japan, 2020) represent the brand as consistently reliable, innovative and performance-oriented. For instance, the contemporary ad above represents the message that sport has the power to unite people from various backgrounds. The consistent approach of Nike is to show its brand as having the ability to enable ...