U of M and Adidas Partnership

The competition for lucrative Collegiate partnerships continues with shoe and clothing manufacturers.

The University of Miami is expected to sign a sponsorship deal with Adidas worth $33 million over 8 years. Miami will get all of its uniforms branded with the Adidas name and logo, and in return Adidas will hopefully sell branded merchandise to loyal fans.

The long range goal for the manufacturing companies is that the fans and younger athletes become loyal to the brand. If a fan wears branded merchandise and likes it, the company hopes they will make more purchases of the brand. In this way, they generate a lot of long term revenue from their team affiliations through merchandise, shoes, and other recreational wear that the fans purchase from them.

An interesting development is the fact that these affiliations are wide spread and include High School Club teams. When these elite travel and club teams are sponsored by the manufacturers the athletes get comfortable with their brand and style of clothing and footwear. The question posed is whether this comfort actually has the ability to dictate school choice to a University that is sponsored by the same company.

Sporting companies have become very savvy with their sponsorships and who they choose to affiliate with. It appears that these affiliations are paying off in a big way.

 http://www.athleticbusiness.com/more-news/recruiting-impact-of-u-miami-s-adidas-deal.html?topic=1,300&eid=277204494&bid=987492