I have previously written about how Reckitt Benckiser (R.B.) have used cross-branding in their up-and-coming spring cleaning advertising campaign here.  Although I felt it was a great idea to sell several brands simultaneously, R.B. missed out – in my opinion – to promote their corporate identity to truly convert their consumers’ brand loyalty across their entire product range.  Adidas, on the other hand, seem to have perfected the strategy.

Adidas’s latest advertisement “Adidas is all in”, features the firm’s three main brands: Originals, Sport Performance and Sport Style.  Hence, the company aims to offer consumers clothing for whatever urban-orientated occasion arises.  This is emphasised by the classic use of aspirational groups; Katy Perry and David Beckham allow different consumers, with different idols, to be ‘won-over’.

More importantly, this form of cross-branding shows the strength of Adidas’s corporate image.  All of their separate brands clearly support a coherent and consistent message: Adidas represents dynamic, urban and youthful lifestyles.

Futhermore, Adidas clearly knows how to interact with its target market.  Firstly, the traditional marketing of the campaign is being augmented through the use of social media; Adidas intends to generate more hype by using Twitter and Facebook to give away Katy Perry concert tickets and a brand new range of shoes.  Secondly, as emerging economies become more lucrative markets, there is a growing class of eastern consumers who aspire to own western brands.  This latest campaign introduces these new consumers with a crash-course in Adidas’s product lines and their famous two logos.

What R.B. and Adidas have shown through their cross-branding adverts is that consumers are now looking beyond the product: consumers often care more about who they purchase from, rather than what the product is.

© Joshua Blatchford, author of Manifested Marketing, 21/03/2011