Adidas Pulls No Punches With Boxing Bags in Chinese Subways

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com

In the category of things I could see going very wrong very quickly, Adidas has installed punching bags in Chinese subway stations. You're supposed to relieve the stress of commuting by punching or kicking the bags. Adidas says it's "the first advertisement in history that you can kick, punch, and trample at will." The bags have some copy printed on them which translates to: "Every year you have to wait on the platform for about 1,824 minutes. Don't waste your time, come and have some punch!" I have to applaud the lawyers in the Shanghai agency that developed these for not shutting down the idea immediately in anticipation of subway patrons kicking each other accidentally and suing. It really is a cool execution, as long as people keep directing their rage at the bags.  

Source: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/adidas-pulls-no-punches-boxing-bags-chinese-subways-134165 

Smaller cities key for Adidas

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com

SHANGHAI - Adidas Group China, a unit of Adidas AG, plans to expand aggressively into lower-tier cities as it seeks to compete with Chinese rivals. 

"We plan to open more than 2,500 additional stores in the next few years in lower-tier cities, expanding city coverage to more than 1,400 cities," said Colin Currie, managing director of Adidas Group China. 

Currie commented following the company's release of its first-half report, which showed that sales in China grew 38 percent to 552 million euros ($783 million), "a new record for this region", the company said. 

Currie attributed the rise to a focus on cultivating sales channels, revitalizing the brand, focusing on productivity at the retail level, forming a new leadership team in China and introducing inventory management measures. 

"Our strong performance in the first half marks the start of a new era for Adidas in China," said Currie. "We are seeing improvements in our businesses across the board, and it sets us up well for the future as we press ahead with our Route 2015 strategy." 

The plan calls for five years of double-digit annual sales growth in China. The Adidas Group is a global sporting goods leader, offering a broad range of products around the core brands: adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade, Rockport and Reebok-CCM Hockey. 

"This is an important market for the group and one where we've had great results in the past," Currie said. "We are confident that in the future with our strategy, in the lower-tier cities and also in the higher-tier cities, consumers will be looking for premier international quality sports brands." 

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2011-08/10/content_13084547.htm
 

Channel 4 will tonight (8 August) launch an ident featuring Usain Bolt, in which the world's fastest man is transformed into the network's logo.

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com

Channel 4 will tonight (8 August) launch an ident featuring Usain Bolt, in which the world's fastest man is transformed into the network's logo. 

In the ident, created by Channel 4’s 4Creative department, Bolt walks along the track in a crowded stadium after winning a race, climaxing with Bolt striking his signature "lightning bolt" pose.

As the camera pans slowly around Bolt, the angle of his pose creates the illusion of a Channel 4 logo.

The Jamaican sprinter appears in his athletics kit, featuring the logo of his key sponsor Puma.

The new ident is being broadcast in the run-up to Channel 4's coverage of the IAAF World Athletics Championships, from 27 August to 4 September, and will play on rotation among the channel's regular suite of idents in the run-up to the competition.

Tom Tagholm, Channel 4’s network creative director, said: "This is the first 4 ident to star a human being, and who better to choose than the fastest guy on the planet?

"It’s a great coup for the channel and 4Creative, and a huge privilege to work with a true sporting legend.

"Technically it was a challenge, Usain had to be shot on a tennis court next to a secret training facility, with the entirety of the stadium, the crowd and the 4 elements added in post.

"Our production and post teams pulled out all the stops to create real magic." 

Source: http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/1083788/Usain-Bolt-star-new-Channel-4-ident/

 

Puma leaps ahead of Nike and Adidas in Detox Challenge

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com

Hats off to Puma, the third largest sportswear company in the world, for publicly committing today to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals from its entire product lifecycle and across its whole supply chain by 2020.

The move comes less than two weeks into our Detox campaign, and shows yet again what's possible when activists and consumers demand more from an industry.

Round one of the Detox challenge belongs to Puma who has sent a clear message to its competitors that allowing suppliers to use and discharge hazardous chemicals is simply not acceptable.

Bearing witness works

Pressure on Nike and Adidas jumped up a bar today thanks to Puma, following almost two weeks of Greenpeace actions at HQ buildings and highstreet stores, including a massive synchronized dance and striptease in 29 cities around the world.

The commitment made by Puma incorporates many of the elements outlined by us in our Dirty Laundry report as being crucial to bringing about systematic change in the textile industry: namely a precautionary approach to chemicals management, a clear timeline for zero discharges, and the elimination of all discharges of hazardous chemicals throughout the supply chain and product lifecycle -- including those coming from polluting production activities such as wet processing. Puma has committed to publishing an action plan detailing how they will deliver their commitment within the next eight weeks.

Greenpeace's Detox campaigners will be keeping a close eye on developments, as Puma still has room to improve by disclosing the hazardous chemicals being released by all of its suppliers.

The challenge continues

Both Nike and Adidas have responded to our Dirty Laundry campaign report, though they risk falling behind in the race to create a toxic-free future if they can't convert their bold claims of leadership into concrete commitments and credible actions.

They could still steal the lead by matching Puma, and then going further by coming clean about the hazardous chemicals released during the production of their products.

Are you all in?

It took a year of careful investigation to join all the dots from the hazardous water pollution in rivers like China's Yangtze River to the textile factories and the international clothing brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma they have commercial relationships with.

You can challenge Nike and Adidas to pick up the pace now by sharing this blog, sharing the detox challenge video or the detox striptease video above, and signing our petition to Nike and Adidas.

Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/puma-leaps-ahead-of-nike-and-adidas-in-detox-/blog/35881/

 

Apparel brands must adapt in China

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com

BEIJING: The apparel sector is set to boom in China in the next five years, but many brands and retailers may also have to "rethink their strategies", the Boston Consulting Group has argued.

The firm estimated annual per capita category spending among 14-45 year olds stands at 1,150 yuan ($177; £110: €126) in China, compared with 5,020 yuan for the UK, and 5,770 yuan regarding the US.

Sales in the world's most populous nation reached 398bn yuan in 2010, and are forecast to hit 800bn yuan in 2015 and 1,348 yuan in 2020, generating 30% of global growth in the process.

To date, however, many international brands only possess a "small footprint", with Zara running 70 branches, Benetton boasting just 25 and Gap operating five, measured against over 1,000 apiece in their home markets.

By contrast, indigenous sports specialists Li Ning and Anta have around 7,000 outlets, while Nike and Adidas are present in 6,000, Bestseller has approximately 4,000, and Metersbinwe has 3,000.

"The next ten years will be a definitive time for China's fashion market; now is the time for established and aspiring players to rethink their strategies," BCG said.

One driver supporting this shift will be the growth in middle class from 50m in 2010 to 140m in 2020. These are households earning at least 74,000 yuan per year.

A survey of 5,000 respondents revealed 31-35 year olds spend the greatest amounts on fashion, at 4,173 yuan a year, followed by 26-30 year olds on 3,841 yuan, and 21-25 year olds on 3,330 yuan.

Exactly 50% of BCG's panel also hope to trade up in the apparel sector this year, a total five percentage points higher than in 2010, and 14% more than in 2009.

The main emotional triggers for shoppers are demonstrating success and status, alongside creating a clear role for themselves, two qualities given greater weight than being "comfortable" or "avoiding mistakes".

Diesel and Club Monaco were among the retail chains seen as the most "trendy", with Polo and Prada performing well in terms of showing "success", as did Uniqlo when it comes to achieving a "balanced lifestyle".

Womenswear delivers 54% of all revenues, with men's clothing on 46%, but in smaller cities from tiers four to seven, male customers make 54% of purchases, compared with 43% in tier one cities like Shanghai.

Lower tier cities held a 50% share of China's fashion market in 2010, and by 2020 two-thirds of the country's middle class and affluent population will live in these areas.

As such, companies wanting to reach 80% of this demographic need a presence in 462 cities, this will climb to 568 cities by 2020.

Moreover, 50% of this group will live within a 50km radius of a first, second or third tier city, leading to what BCG described as "city clusters", as these urban centres increasingly merge into each other.

Elsewhere, the consultancy reported apparel is already the most popular online retail category in China, and predicted the number of internet shoppers in China will rise from 145m in 2010 to 329m in 2015.

Specialist online operator Vancl has enjoyed significant growth thanks to its value pricing and wide selection, but bricks and mortar chains lag considerably behind.

Fast fashion expert Uniqlo has also used digital marketing extensively, building a dedicated store on ecommerce platform Taobao Mall, and partnering with social network RenRen, running competitions and similar schemes.

Data sourced from Boston Consulting Group; additional content by Warc staff, 18 July 2011

Source:http://www.warc.com/LatestNews/News/EmailNews.news?ID=28554&Origin=WARCNewsEmail