The brand identity of Adidas in Russia and the USA (2018)

Adidas is a worldwide sports brand. Its global net sales amounted to about 21.2 billion euros in 2017 according to the official report. However famous and successful its brand identity in America is, there is an entirely different story in Russia. To understand and compare two brand identities of Adidas in Russia and the U.S it is crucial to know the backstage history of the brand in the USSR.

Before the Olympics in 1980 Soviet people lived under the Iron Curtain and knew nothing about a European brand named Adidas. The situation changed when the German company provided the Soviet team with sports tracksuits during the Olympics. The overseas brand became a fashionable clothing item and a symbol of freedom and progress. Everyone dreamed of Adidas boots with the famous logo but it was extremely expensive.
However, the counterfeits appeared in the '90s and changed the brand identity of Adidas. Prisoners would dress in Adidas black tracksuits with three stripes. It became the hallmark of Russian criminal groups and a symbol of dominance. That created the common worldwide stereotypes about Russian subculture called "Gopniks" who wear Adidas tracksuits with three stripes.
After the collapse of the USSR in the late ‘90s, the country entered into the world of capitalism where people believed that owning things promises happiness and the original Adidas products were one of the symbols of prosperity.

Nowadays, Adidas revenue in Russia is only 3% of the total revenue of 21.2 billion euros, and sales have been dropping significantly from 2014 until the World Cup in 2018. On the contrary, American income in 2017 was almost 20%, and sales continue to rise slowly.

Today Adidas in Russia remains a prestigious, good-quality, expensive brand, and unaffordable for most Russian people. For example, a jacket in Adidas's brand shop costs almost 270 euros. Conversely, for American people, Adidas is a high quality and trendy brand with an accessible price.

Russian people who don't associate themselves with criminal groups or gopniks would never buy a black Adidas tracksuit with three stripes, whereas Americans would love to wear Adidas advertised by their favourite sports stars.

In 2009, Adidas launched one of the most successful campaigns forming an image of a brand that supports women all over the world. Moreover, Adidas sponsors the World Cup and the Olympic games which creates a professional interest. Regardless of all campaigns, in Russia, the brand is still associated with the criminal world by consumers. Contrarily, Americans associate Adidas with a healthy and dynamic lifestyle.

In conclusion, American and Russian brand identities are very different due to the historical background and culture. The enormous popularity of Adidas in the USSR formed the brand identity where the brand identity in America was mostly formed by advertisement campaigns with sports stars.