In embellishing fashion and aesthetics, style is categorised based on the brands that manufacture the particular products, followed by the ongoing trend.
And in these times of being entirely classy and bougie, we can never forget about two of the most renowned brands, Adidas and Nike.
Key Takeaways
- Nike and Adidas are two of the most prominent sportswear companies globally, with Nike being American and Adidas being German.
- Nike focuses on innovation and design, while Adidas focuses on comfort and performance.
- Nike has a broader range of products and a larger market share than Adidas, but Adidas has a more significant presence in soccer and other team sports.
Nike vs Adidas
Nike is an American brand that was founded in 1964 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. It is a global brand worn by celebrities, athletes and musical artists. The brand is recognised by a “swoosh” or a “tick mark” which is its official logo. Adidas is a German brand founded in 1949 by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler. The logo of Adidas resembles a “trefoil” or three stripes.
Nike is an American transnational company immersed in the composition, expansion, production and global commerce of footwear, clothing, accessories and equipment. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, in the metropolitan area, it is the world’s massive supplier of athletic necessities.
Adidas, or Adidas AG, is a German global company engaged in designing and producing apparel, shoes, sportswear, and toiletries, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Adidas own outstanding stocks of companies such as Reebok, the Adidas Group, 8.33% of the German football club Bayern Munich, and Runtastic, an Austrian fitness technology company.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Nike | Adidas |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America | Herzogenaurach, Germany |
| Established in the year | 25 January 1964 | 18 August 1949 |
| Founders | Bill Bowerman Phil Knight | Adolf Dassler Rudolf Dassler |
| Products | Athletic footwear, apparel, sports equipment | Apparel, footwear, sportswear, sports equipment, toiletries |
| Number of Employees | 75,400 (2020) | 62,285 (2020) |
| Revenue | US$37.40 billion (2020) | €14.297 billion (2020) |
| Subsidiaries | Converse, NIKE Vietnam Co, Nike Vision, NIKE Cortez, NIKE Tailwind, Jordan Brand, NIKE Lavadome, Nike Thailand, Air max Limited, Nike Flight, Invertex Ltd, NIKE waffle, NIKE European Operations Netherlands B.V., NIKE Deutschland GmbH, NIKE Huarache, Nike Golf, TraceMe Inc., NIKE IHM Inc., NIKE India Pvt. Ltd., NIKE Retail B.V., NIKE Innovate C.V., NIKE de Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., NIKE Sourcing India Private Limited, NIKE Hong Kong Ltd., NIKE Retail Services Inc., NIKE Canada Corp, NIKE Trading Co. B.V., NIKE USA Inc., NIKE Sales (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., NIKE Retail Poland sp. zo. o, NIKE (UK) Ltd., NIKE Canada Holding B.V., NIKE Korea, LLC., NIKE Pegasus, NIKE Europe Holding B.V. | Reebok, Adidas Runtastic, Matix, 510 Footwear, Adidas (Thailand), 3 Stripes S.A., adidas Canada, adidas South Africa (PTY) Ltd, Adidas Korean, Adidas America, adidas Hellas S.A., adidas Peru S.A.C., Adidas Austria Gmbh, adidas Industrial, S.A. de C.V., Adidas Singapore Pte Ltd, Adidas Sport GmbH, adidas Emerging Markets L.L.C, adidas International B.V., Adidas Sverige AB, adidas (Cyprus) Limited, Tafibal S.A., adidas Philippines Inc.,Adidas, Ooo , adidas LLP, Adidas New Zealand, adidas Latin America, S.A., Adidas Beteiligungsges. Mbh, adidas CR s.r.o., adidas Insurance & Risk Consultants GmbH, Adidas Bulgaria Ead, Adidas Poland Sp Z O O, adidas Egypt Ltd., Adidas Norge As, Reebok de Mexico, S.A. de C.V., Raelit S.A., Adidas Chile Ltda., adidas Budapest Kft., adidas Trgovina d.o.o., Adidas France, Taylormade Korea Ltd., adidas Corporation de Venezuela, S.A., adidas Hellas A.E., Adidas Italia Srl, adidas Hong Kong Ltd., |
What is Nike?
Nike is a transnational company that manufactures sportswear, athlete footwear, and sports equipment. It is one of the world’s most renowned companies and has expanded solely since its establishment.
Nike has several subsidiaries worldwide, which are as prominent as the original Nike products.
The founder of Nike, Bill Bowerman, was a University Oregon track coach. He had a high dislike for the design of track shoes, and thus he experimented with several compositions of his own and enlisted local cobblers to teach him.
He tried several materials and leather types, such as kangaroo, velvet etc.
The logo of this brand, the “swoosh” or the “checkmark”, coated for just 35$ when they first decided it to be their official logo.
The first shoe sold was a football shoe with the company name and logo that was prone to disintegration, manufactured in New Mexico. The company had divided not to test it in more restraining temperatures.
Overall, Nike has flourished immensely over the years, and statistics are to claim that there are over 1,096 Nike stores worldwide, and Nike’s net income worldwide is 2.54 billion USD.
What is Adidas?
Adidas is a global company that manufactures apparel, footwear, sportswear, sports equipment, and toiletries. Adidas is a German brand founded by the Dassler brothers, Adolf Dassler and Rudolf Dassler, in 1949.
The brand is as influential as ever and has been in the game for over 70 years. Like Nike, Adidas has several subsidiaries worldwide.
Adidas, over the years, as a brand, has achieved several endeavours and has had its reach to the top parts of the world. Although In the 90s, the brand had to go through bankruptcy because of poor strategies.
The first pair of Adidas shoes were called track spikes, deliberately designed for track and field. Adidas is a holding company of brands like Reebok and Taylor Made.
The trefoil was the second Adidas logo, along with the stripes. The logo has changed several times since its establishment; it changed in 1924,1949,1950,1967,1971,1991,2002,2005.
The old logo of the three stripes was modified, and one of the primary reasons behind it was that the brand was trying to emphasise that it has expanded ever since its establishment.
The brand took its initiative in the clothing world in 1967 by creating the Franz Beckenbauer tracksuit, named after a great German football player.
Overall, Adidas is one unstoppable brand that is loved and bought by many people, and to be statistically accurate, the net sales worldwide are 19.8 billion euros.
Main Differences Between Nike and Adidas
- Nike has a greater reach worldwide than Adidas.
- Nike has more market capitalisation than Adidas, and in 2019 it had almost double the market capitalization of Adidas.
- Nike has more social media numbers than Adidas.
- Adidas, as a brand manufactures products keeping in mind the customer’s needs; on the other hand, Nike design the product keeping innovation and comfort in mind.
- As of 2020, Nike has a more significant revenue, whereas Adidas was behind in revenue in 2020.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sW5-F5Q8u3oC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=nike&ots=65h1oWE72K&sig=Oyg9MgHfuX8CZkrt-mWaG-nlTjk
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444807076978
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
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