H
905A24

THE BRAND IN THE HAND: MOBILE MARKETING AT
ADIDAS

David Wesley prepared this case under the supervision of Professors Andy Rohm and Fareena Sultan solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality.
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Copyright © 2005, Northeastern University, College of Business Administration

Version: (A) 2005-11-07

Nick Drake, Global Media manager (Global Media Group) for adidas, arrived at the company’s headquarters to present a bold new marketing strategy, based around mobile phones. “We call it the Brand in the Hand,” he told the senior marketing executives who had gathered to present their strategy for the upcoming year. The Global Media Group had been arguing that mobile marketing was the surest, and perhaps only, way for adidas to break free from the advertising clutter and fragmentation of traditional media. “Mobile is the most personal medium available,” Drake explained. “People run their whole lives off of mobile. It’s business, it’s personal, it’s information gathering. It’s on 24/7. With mobile, you have the customer’s complete attention.”
The Global Media Group