Adidas Brainy Boots Offer Messi Secret in Nike Challenge: Retail

Interesting article...

For 245 euros ($338), Adidas AG (ADS) will share Lionel Messi’s secret with you.

After two years in development, the world’s second-largest sporting-goods maker will release soccer shoes that allow the wearer to compare speed and movement with stars including Messi, the Barcelona forward twice named FIFA World Player of the Year. The shoe, which uses an embedded chip to record and analyze a player’s performance, goes on sale in Europe, Asia and Latin America on Nov. 15, and hits U.S. stores on Dec. 1.

“We’re able to show you what you did, give you the key metrics of your game and enable you to compare this to your previous performances, the performance of your friends, competitors or our global stars,” said Ryan Mitchell, head of the go-to-market team in Adidas’s interactive business unit.

The product, worn by Messi in Argentina’s Sept. 6 exhibition game against Nigeria, was developed by Adidas to help fend off larger rivalNike Inc. (NKE) and extend its leadership in soccer. Nike has sought to surpass Herzogenaurach, Germany-based Adidas as the sport’s biggest brand by sponsoring teams including Barcelona and players such as Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Adidas controls about a third of a market it estimates is worth as much as 5 billion euros a year.

“Adidas has a heritage in football that Nike doesn’t have and its innovations should bring more growth,” said Joerg Frey, an analyst at M.M. Warburg in Hamburg. “It’s good timing for Adidas with the European championship coming up.”... 


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