Adidas’ mission is “To be the best sports brand in the world.” Adidas AG is a German multinational initially founded in 1924 by Adolf Dassler who developed spiked running shoes out of his mother’s house. Today, the company is the largest sportswear producer in Europe and the second largest globally behind rival Nike.
“Athletes do not settle for average. And neither do we. We have a clear mission: To be the best sports brand in the world. Every day, we come to work to create and sell the best sports products in the world, and to offer the best service and consumer experience – and to do it all in a sustainable way. We are the best when we are the credible, inclusive, and sustainable leader in our industry.”
There’s a lot to unpack about this mission statement, so let’s get to it in the following sections.
The company’s BOOST running shoes are one of its most successful, known for their revolutionary cushioned soles that store energy at the midsole and then release it with every step to power the athlete forward.
Launched in 2013, the performance shoe also found favor in the lifestyle market and helped Adidas kickstart (and profit from) the athleisure trend that followed.
To become its version of the best brand in the world, Adidas exhibits an attitude that considers no aspiration to be impossible.
This is backed by a specially crafted statement that reads: “We see the world of sport and culture with possibility where others only see the impossible. ‘Impossible is Nothing’ is not a tagline for us. By being optimistic and knowing the power of sport, we see endless possibilities to apply this power and push all people forward with action.”
The best service and consumer experience
Adidas’s Own the Gamestrategy, which takes the company out to 2025, ensures that consumers remain central to every action it performs.
This strategy is primarily focused on increasing the credibility of the Adidas brand and elevating the brand experience.
Adidas also understands that it is consumers who drive industry tends via their preferences and behaviors and not the companies who develop products. Indeed, the customers of today are more active and desire healthier lifestyles facilitated by sustainable products and technology.
To enable Adidas to grow over the next few years, the company wants to deepen its relationship with consumers by meeting their needs and living its purpose to change their lives through the power of sport.
Sustainability and credibility
Adidas’s sustainability commitment has been an established part of its business operations for over 20 years.
The company is sharpening its focus on sustainably in the short term with several key targets for 2025 and beyond. These include:
By 2030, the company wants to reduce GHG emissions by 30% with climate neutrality for its entire value chain forecast to occur by 2050.
Related to its commitment to people is an initiative to become more involved in Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD). By 2025, Adidas hopes to have established a system that enables it to identify human rights issues across the whole of its value chain.
Key takeaways:
Adidas’s mission is to become the best sports brand in the world with superior levels of customer service and brand experience. Like most other companies, Adidas has also incorporated diversity and sustainability into its mission statement.
To become what it considers the best brand in the world, Adidas has crafted an “attitude statement” that details a belief that no aspiration in the world of sport or culture is impossible.
Adidas’s Own the Gamestrategy ensures its customers remain central to every action it performs. No matter how innovative Adidas may be as a company, it recognizes that it is consumers who drive industry trends and the direction of product development.
Adidas’ mission is “To be the best sports brand in the world.” Adidas AG is a German multinational initially founded in 1924 by Adolf Dassler who developed spiked running shoes out of his mother’s house. Today, the company is the largest sportswear producer in Europe and the second largest globally behind rival Nike.
Tesla’s vision is to “create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles,” while its mission is “to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport by bringing compelling mass-market electric cars to market as soon as possible.” Tesla used a transitional business model as its ecosystem grows.
Amazon’s mission statement is to “serve consumers through online and physical stores and focus on selection, price, and convenience.” Amazon’s vision statement is “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.”
Apple’s mission is “to bring the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services.” And in a manifesto dated 2019 Tim Cook set the vision specified as “We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing.”
Netflix’s core mission, strategy, and vision are that of “improving its members’ experience by expanding the streaming content with a focus on a programming mix of content that delights members and attracts new members.”
Coca-Cola’s Purpose is to “refresh the world. make a difference.” Its vision and mission are to “craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love, to refresh them in body & spirit. And done in ways that create a more sustainable business and better-shared future that makes a difference in people’s lives, communities, and our planet.”
Starbucks highlights its mission as “to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” And its vision is to “treat people like family, and they will be loyal and give their all.”
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. With over $110 billion in revenues in 2018, Office Products and Windows are still the main products. Yet the company also operates in Gaming (Xbox), Search Advertising (Bing), Hardware, LinkedIn, Cloud, and more.
Walmart’smission can be summarized as “helping people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores and through eCommerce.” While its vision is to “make every day easier for busy families.” Walmart defines “busy families” as the bull’s eye of its business strategy.
Nike vision is “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” While its mission statement is to “do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team and by making a positive impact in communities where we live and work.”
Google mission statement is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Its vision statement is to “provide an important service to the world-instantly delivering relevant information on virtually any topic.” In 2019, Sundar Pichai emphasized a renewed mission to allow people “to get things done!”
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
