adidas: From point-in-time research to continuous brand management
The sportswear manufacturer uses online search behaviour to identify emerging shifts in brand and product interest earlier and turn them into a stronger basis for decisions worldwide.
#ShareofSearch
#Retail
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The challenge
How can brand development be monitored on an ongoing basis and made comparable globally without further increasing effort and costs?
The scenario
When too much happens between two measurement points
In the sports and fashion business, trends and customer interests can change quickly. Traditional brand tracking provided adidas with valuable insights through surveys and market research but captured brand development at specific points in time. Between these measurement points, there was limited visibility into how brand and product interest was changing. For adidas, the challenge was therefore to complement these snapshots with more timely signals without adding further complexity and cost to global brand tracking.
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The Solution
A global data foundation for continuous brand management
Together with TD Reply, adidas developed a global model that uses online search behaviour as a continuous signal of changing brand and product interest. At its core is “Share of Search”: a KPI that measures the share of total search interest a brand or product accounts for within a defined topic or product area.
The model applies this principle consistently across markets and at different levels, from categories and brands to individual products, franchises and partners. This gives adidas a shared framework for identifying shifts in interest and putting them into context across its global business.
The technology behind it
~1.9M keywords turn search behaviour into measurable signals
The model is based on a multi-level keyword framework that classifies branded and non-branded search queries by brand, category, product, franchise and partner. More than 1.9 million keywords are processed automatically, turning millions of individual searches into a structured data foundation. A lakehouse provides the central data foundation, while Power BI makes the results accessible through dashboards.
The result
Global brand tracking at around 60% lower cost
The model is now used across 43 countries and 23 languages, covering seven product categories, including Football, Training, Lifestyle, Running and Outdoor apparel, as well as more than 1000 franchises and 400 partners. At the same time, adidas has reduced brand-tracking costs by around 60 percent compared with the previous approach. For adidas, this turns point-in-time brand tracking into a more continuous and scalable approach, providing additional visibility between survey waves without adding the cost of further traditional research.
38 countries
24 languages
750 franchises
Adidas is a global leader in the sportswear and athletic apparel industry, known for its innovative products, cutting-edge designs, and commitment to sustainability. Founded in 1949, the company has grown into one of the most recognizable brands in the world, offering a wide range of performance footwear, apparel, and accessories. With a strong presence in over 100 countries, Adidas is dedicated to driving performance and style across sports, fashion, and lifestyle sectors. The brand is also a pioneer in leveraging digital transformation, enhancing customer experiences, and embracing new technologies to stay ahead in the competitive market.
TD Reply is specialized in consulting around data-driven innovation services and marketing. TD Reply follows a data-based and implementation-oriented approach to drive organizational change. At its locations in Berlin, Munich and Beijing, developers, analysts, designers, consultants, visualizers and futurologists use data to make companies more customer-oriented and close the gaps between product development, communication and sales.