Sporting Goods

Competitors:
• Nike
• Adidas
Slate, Inc. has asked us to provide a brand analysis report on these two competing brands to inform Slate’s decisions on the direction of its branding strategy.
Comparing Nike and Adidas brands can provide valuable insights to Slate, Inc. for several reasons:

1. Competitive Analysis: Both brands are significant sports apparel and footwear players. A comparison can help understand how they compete regarding product offerings, marketing strategies, and target markets.
2. Brand Positioning: Understanding how each brand is positioned in the market can provide insights into their unique selling propositions and how they differentiate themselves.
3. Consumer Perception: Analyzing how consumers perceive and interact with each brand can help identify strengths and weaknesses in their branding strategies.
4. Market Trends: Comparing these brands can also shed light on current sports apparel and footwear trends.
5. Innovation and Technology: Nike and Adidas are known for their innovation and use of technology in product development. A comparison can highlight their approach to innovation and how it impacts their brand image.
6. Sustainability Practices: With growing consumer interest in sustainability, comparing the brands’ environmental impact and sustainability practices can be informative.

Subject: Focus of Brand Analysis
From: Carlos Chance, Head of Branding, Slate, Inc.
To: You
Hello,
Primarily, we want you to examine the branding strategies of our competitors. This report will function as a brand audit that allows us to examine our competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, customer expectations, and our own relative position in the market.
These details form the basis of the main branding elements. I met with our CEO, Shanice Watts, and she wanted me to emphasize the following eight categories we would like you to analyze in your report about our two biggest competitors:

1. brand personality
2. brand image
3. brand identity
4. brand differentiation
5. brand positioning
6. brand communication
7. brand loyalty
8. brand equity (including financial equity)
   Slate’s executive teams are really looking forward to your report. Thanks for helping us with this.
   Best,
   Carlos

Step 3: Research Slate’s Competitors
Required Readings
Ferrara, M. H. (2013). Handbook of global marketing. Gale.

1. Building an international brand
2. Managing a brand across multiple markets
3. Global brand success stories
   To carry out this assignment, you need to understand Slate’s competitors’ brand strategies, their consumers, how to acquire market knowledge through primary and secondary research, and how to use that knowledge to build and support a brand.
   To start your research, visit the websites of Slate’s two biggest competitors and review both scholarly and reliable nonscholarly sources to explore their branding decisions. Your research of the two companies should focus on the branding elements discussed in the previous step.
   Consult a minimum of three scholarly sources and twelve reliable nonscholarly sources (15 total). Make sure that you use reliable, nonscholarly sources such as Reuters, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, Statista, Barrons.com, Morningstar.com, Money, Forbes, Fortune, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review, as well as the UMGC Library databases such as Hoover’s, IBIS World, and ABI/INFORM.
   In addition, explore the following branding websites for relevant content:
   • www.adage.com
   • www.adweek.com
   • www.brandchannel.com
   • www.ama.org
   • www.cmo.com
   • www.marketingprofs.com
   Then proceed to the next step, where you will discuss branding strategy.