German sportswear firm Adidas launched a huge marketing campaign for the World Cup, with the intention of defending its position as the King of football boots (Adidas V Nike – Adidas V Puma).
Adidas have now reported that they exceeded their profit targets as a result of the World Cup. Despite high marketing costs and the revamping of Reebok, they report net profit rose to 82 million Euros in the second quarter of this year.
Adidas purchased Reebok for 3.8 billion US Dollars, to compete with Nike, but is having to work hard on Reebok. Adidas said the purchase of Reebok would help improve 2006 group earnings, but some American commentators are unsure the acquisition will pay off.
Although Adidas have seen increases in the sales of the football equipment, Puma won the prestigious award by backing the World Cup Champions Italy.
