Curious about the entrepreneurial adventure behind inspiring brands, Brand and Strategic Professional Martijn Arets decided to quit his job, hand in his lease car, ignore all uncertainties and follow his dream. For five months, he travelled more than 15,000 kilometres across Europe in a one-of-a-kind 1971 Volkswagen T2 camper van, meeting with the founders, CEOs and brand managers of 20 authentic European brands in what was to prove a unique trip: Brand Expedition. On popular demand, he has bundled the lessons and stories behind 20 appealing European brands such as Lego, Mini, Skype, The Body Shop and Adidas to create Brand Expedition, the book. More information? Check www.brand-expedition.com or send Martijn a Tweet: @martijnarets.

1. READ OUT LOUD
THE STORY BEHIND
- ADIDAS -
CLEATS MAKE ADI FAMOUS

2. BEFORE YOU START….
please look into your camera and tell
us slowly your name, city and
country… Then you can start reading
this paragraph out loud… Have fun!

3. Adi passed away in 1978 and nine
years later Horst also passed away,
unexpectedly. Though his mother and
sisters tried to keep the company
afloat, it became clear that Adi and
Horst’s DNA had left the company.

4. A number of bad years followed for
adidas. The brand missed the
important trends, and its focus was
too much on technology and the
functional aspects of the product. No
attention was paid to ‘look & feel’.

5. “Reebok’s introduction of aerobics
and Nike’s introduction of jogging
were seen as insignificant trends by
the Dasslers. Their biggest mistake
ever. Furthermore, whereas the
competition had long since found the

6. road to China, adidas still produced
its goods in Germany, so that their
profits were only marginal.” adidas
lost its number one position. In 1990,
the Dasslers sold their family
company to the French businessman

7. Bernard Tapie. He immediately
moved production to China,
using the company’s own people to
guarantee the right quality. He also
hired Madonna to promote Adidas.

8. - END OF RECORDING-