The adidas social media playbook outlines the company's history, revenue, production, and market positioning as the second largest sportswear manufacturer worldwide. It details the social media strategy across various platforms, targeting specific audiences with tailored content to enhance brand awareness and engagement. The document emphasizes the importance of authenticity, community-driven content, and increased posting frequency to strengthen connections with consumers.

1. Adidas Social Media
Playbook
By: Alexis Kelly

2. Company Overview
Founded: July 1924 by Adolf Dassler (Adidas – 1949)
Revenue: 19.291 billion euros (2016)
Production: 404 million units of apparel (2017)
403 million pairs of shoes (2017)
“No other brand has a more distinguished
history and stronger connection with
sport than adidas. It is our mission to be
the best sports brand in the world.
Everything we do is rooted in sport.”

3. Industry Overview
◇ 2nd largest sportswear manufacturer
worldwide
￭ 1st in Europe
◇ North America generates 21% of net
sales
◇ Brand Value = $7.9 billion (2017)
https://www.statista.com/topics/1257/adidas/

4. Social Competitive Analysis
Instagram: 19.5 million followers/ 688 posts
Facebook: 33,559,501 followers/ 33,598,477 likes
Twitter: 3.97 million followers/ 17.3k tweets
Instagram: 77.1 million followers/ 922 posts
Facebook: 30,361,931 followers/ 30,577,326 likes
Twitter: 7.44 million followers/ 34k tweets

5. Social
Media
Strategy

6. Social Media Target
Audiences
Athletes
Fashion
Lovers &
Trend
Setters
Stores (Foot
Locket,
Macy’s)
Fitness
Enthusiasts

7. “
◇Increase Brand Awareness
◇Expand User Base
◇Grow Content Reach
◇Improve Social ROI & Sales
◇Increase Engagement & Social Discussion
Goals & Objectives

8. Social Media
Guardrails
1. Be authentic
2. Share timely content
3. Don’t only sell
4. Use content that is native to the platform
5. Engage in social listening
6. Follow tone and voice guidelines
7. Listen and engage with your customers

9. B2C1

10. Gray
B2C Channels

11. Athletics vs. Fashion
Adidas Original – Youth, Fashion, Retro, Futuristic
Adidas – Athletic, Reliable, Sports/ Fitness Community
B2C Strategy

12. B2C Tone & Voice
TONE
• Inspiring
• Savvy
• Insider
• Reliable
• Lively
VOICE
• Empowering
• Community-Driven
• Engaging
• Warm
• Personal

13. Do’s&
Don’ts
Brand Voice
Characteristic
Description Do’s Dont’s
Empowering
Give customers the power and
confidence to achieve their goals
while using our products
Encouraging and
motivational word
choice; Use “You”
Show a lack of confidence or
discouragement
Community Driven
Values all thoughts, organizations,
cultures, communities, and people
worldwide
Respond respectfully
acknowledging all
opinions (even negative)
Voice negative opinions,
argue, or display a bias
Engaging
Grasps attention and fosters
interaction of viewers
Relatable, valuable, and
timely
Solely push the products or
close the conversation by
providing the answer
Warm
Positive, encouraging, and
welcoming
Story-rich content that is
inspirational
Unhappy, unsociable, or
unrelatable
Personal
Sound like a person with specific
traits over a corporation with no
personality
Use everyday language
and have an authentic
conversation
Use unfamiliar words and a
corporate professional voice

14. Facebook
Audience:
- Older Generations
- Parents
- Primary Household
Purchasers
- Fitness Gurus
- Sports Enthusiasts
Role:
Generate awareness of
the latest products
amongst the large FB
audience. Share
inspiring content that
will encourage
purchases and engage
consumers. Display
reliability as a brand the
“whole family can
trust”.

15. Facebook
Type of Content:
￭ Videos (sports, inspiring stories, athletic community)
￭ Photos (new products, newest collections, athletes)
Posting Cadence:
￭ Currently: 1-2 times per month
￭ New Strategy: 5 times per week
Hashtags:
￭ #HereToCreate, #adidasreigningchamp,
#747WarehouseSt

16. Instagram
Audience:
- Younger Generations
- Millenialls & Gen Z
- Highschool/ College
Athletes
- Fitness Enthusiasts
- Fashion Gurus
Role:
Generate awareness
and create buzz around
the latest products.
Share community
focused content that
fosters engagement.
Adidas Orignial is
targeting the trendy
fashionable side of the
brand. Adidas is
targeting the althletes.

17. Instagram
Type of Content:
￭ Videos (sports, inspiring stories, athletic community,
fashion, youth community)
￭ Photos (influencers, new products, newest collections,
athletes, trending fashion)
￭ Stories (live, images, exclusive sneak-peaks)
Posting Cadence:
￭ Currently: 1-2 times per month
￭ New Strategy: 5 times per week
Hashtags:
￭ #ARKYN, #AlphaBounce #Adidas

18. Twitter
Audience:
- Fashion Enthusiasts
- Sports Fans
- White Collar Workers
- Highschool/ College
Ahtletes
Role:
Twitter will be used to
engage in conversation
with our customers. We
want to better
understand our
customers affinities
through Twitter
discussion.

19. Twitter
Type of Content:
￭ Videos (sports, athletic community, new products)
￭ Photos (release date announcements, athletes,
influencers, sponsorships/events)
Posting Cadence:
￭ Currently: 2-3 times per week
￭ New Strategy: 1-2 times per day
Hashtags:
￭ #Yeezy, #HeretoCreate, #AlphaBounce

20. Pinterest
Audience:
- Primarily Females
- Athletes
- Primary Household
Purchasers
- Fashion/ Fitness Lovers
- Parents
Role:
Pinterest will be used to
target the fashionistas
and health conscious
consumers. This will
help showcase new
lines, seasonal
products, motivational
tips, and increase sales
by directing people to
the site.
Posting Cadence:
- 15 pins per month

21. Snapchat
Audience:
- Gen Z & Millenialls
- Athletes
- Fashion/ Fitness Lovers
Role:
Snapchat will be used to
engage with the youth
around current sporting
events. Create engaging
opporunities and
campaigns (ex.
Myneolabel).Posting Cadence:
- 3-5 posts per day
(average) varying
on the content, day,
and post type

22. Place your screenshot
here
B2C Content Themes
- World Cup (June 14 – June 15)
- Youth Community (What do you create?)
- NBA Finals (June)
- #Kicksoftheweek

23. B2B2

24. Gray
B2B Channels

25. Department Stores &
Shoe Stores
Department Stores – Macy’s, Models, Nordstrom, etc.
Shoe Stores – Finishline, Footlocker, Champs, etc.
B2B Strategy

26. B2B Tone & Voice
TONE
• Reliable
• Genuine
• Industry Leader
• Inspirational
VOICE
• Professional
• Direct
• Informative
• Creative

27. Do’s&
Don’ts Brand Voice
Characteristic
Description Do’s Dont’s
Professional
Authentic, reliable and informational
showcasing the company's an
industry leader
Display brand personality
and core values
Overly professional to
destroy being authentic
Direct
Straightforward and concise; with a
variety of competitors the point of
differentiation must be clear
Include important
information in posts (name,
release date, etc.)
Only focus on the sale
Informative
Providing details retailers need to sell
products and make purchasing
decisions
Create buzz around new
products but keep important
details secret
Disclose too much
information
Creative
Display the uniqueness of our
products and their history of
development
Showcase new features,
lines, and launches
Directly downplay a
competitor

28. Twitter
Audience:
- Distributors
- Department Stores
- Sports Stores
- Exclusive Shoe Stores
- Online Retailers
Role:
Twitter will be used to
engage in conversation
with other brands. This
will include the stores
where our products can
be purchased following
a launch.

29. Twitter
Type of Content:
￭ Videos (showcase new products & campaigns)
￭ Photos (release date announcements, influencers,
product details)
Posting Cadence:
￭ Currently: 2-3 times per week
￭ New Strategy: 1 time per day
Hashtags:
￭ #AlphaBounce, #STANSMITH

30. Instagram
Audience:
- Competitors
- Brands
- Distributors
- Department Stores
Role:
Generate awareness
and create buzz around
the latest products.
Share community
focused content that
display the community
oriented company
value.

31. Instagram
Type of Content:
￭ Videos (product preview, details & design)
￭ Photos (influencers using products, new products,
collections, trending fashion)
￭ Stories (finished goods, images, exclusive sneak-
peaks)
Posting Cadence:
￭ Currently: 1-2 times per month
￭ New Strategy: 3 times per week
Hashtags:
￭ #DEERUPT, #ULTRABOOST

32. Facebook
Audience:
- Distributors
- Department Stores
- Sports Stores
- Exclusive Shoe Stores
- Online Retailers
Role:
Generate awareness of the
latest products. Display the
demand and social
engagement of our
consumers which in turn will
encourage retailers to
purchase our products (pull
strategy).

33. Facebook
Type of Content:
￭ Videos (athletes, influencers)
￭ Photos (new products, newest collections, lastest
features, relase dates, new partnerships)
Posting Cadence:
￭ Currently: 1-2 times per month
￭ New Strategy: 2 times per week
Hashtags:
￭ #ALPHASKIN, #adidasreigningchamp,

34. Place your screenshot here
B2B Content Themes
- Product differentiation
- Industry Leadership
- “Original is never finished”
- Retro/ Fashionable

35. Conclusion
◇ Continue using individual social media accounts
◇ Increase social discussion around products
◇ Increase posting cadence across all platforms
◇ Prioritize Adidas & Adidas Originals accounts
◇ B2C – Primary medium is Instagram
◇ B2B – Primary medium is Twitter
◇ Listen, engage, and interact with your fans!

36. Thanks!