CONTINUOUS FLOW OF PRODUCT INNOVATION IN 2007
Developing industry-leading technologies is only one aspect
of being an innovation leader. Even more important is the successful
commercialization of those technological innovations.
The majority of adidas Group sales in 2007 were generated
with products newly introduced in the course of the year and
our launch schedule for 2008 highlights a full pipeline of innovative
products. 
see Outlook
SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT LAUNCHES ACROSS ALL MAJOR
ADIDAS CATEGORIES
Brand adidas’ success in 2007 was
largely based on launching evolutions of existing technologies
in all major categories. Products launched in 2007 accounted
for 77 % of brand sales and only 6 % of total sales were generated
with products introduced three or more years ago.
Examples of adidas running advancements included new versions
of the core adiSTAR and Supernova families featuring
ForMotion™ technology as well as the next generations of
the Response and BOUNCE™ running shoes. The importance
of these four product families is significant as over five million
products were sold from these four product families together.
The positive development in the training category also benefited
from the launch of adidas’ most innovative functional line
of performance apparel to date, adidas TECHFIT™.
SIGNIFICANT PRODUCT INNOVATION AT REEBOK IN 2007
Increasing the number of product innovations Reebok develops
and commercializes each year is critical to our efforts to
improve
Reebok’s performance orientation. At brand Reebok,
61 % of ordered footwear products were launched in 2007. Only
10 % of ordered footwear products were related to products
introduced three or more years ago. Running was a key focus
with the launch of several new products in 2007 such as the
Trinity KFS II, PUMP Paris Trainer and HATANA running shoes.
These were all part of Reebok’s Premier Running Series
of premium running products where the brand sold around
one million pairs of footwear in 2007.
At Reebok-CCM Hockey, products launched in 2007 accounted for 58 % of sales. Only 12 % of sales were generated with products introduced at least three years ago. In apparel, Reebok- CCM Hockey launched the Rbk E DGE Uniform System™ in hockey, which was designed in collaboration with NHL teams and players. This was the first new NHL league jersey in 20 years, featuring technologically advanced materials and fabrics that are more breathable, more resistant to water absorption and offer greater range of movement. As a result, all NHL teams now wear this jersey, and we sold over 700,000 units of this product in 2007. Due to the different business model for the Rockport brand with a larger focus on non-athletic styles, the impact from new styles is significantly lower. As a result, products launched in 2007 accounted for 50 % of sales. Less than 20 % of total sales were generated with products introduced more than three years ago.
INNOVATION CONTINUES AS KEY SUCCESS FACTOR FOR
TAYLORMADE-ADIDAS GOLF
In the TaylorMade-adidas Golf
segment, current products (i. e. products launched in the last
18 months, which is the typical product lifecycle in golf)
represented
75 % of total hardware sales. Products that had
been brought to market three or more years ago accounted for
only 1 %. Major innovations were the r7® SuperQuad drivers
and the Burner® family of metalwoods, which now represent
around 45 % of TaylorMade’s total metalwood offering. adidas
Golf successfully launched a new performance shoe, the
POWERBAND,
which incorporates
three sophisticated adidas
Golf technologies, and the TOU R360 II, a new version of the
successful TOU R360. These innovative products accounted for
around 40 % of adidas Golf footwear sales in 2007. The Clima
concept was further extended to shorts and pants in adidas
Golf apparel as well as in several launches in the women’s
category and is now included in around 90 % of adidas Golf
apparel products.
MAJOR 2007 PRODUCT LAUNCHES
| Products |
Segment |
| adiSTAR ForMotion™ Control und Cushion running shoes |
adidas |
| MEGABOUNCE running shoe | adidas |
| adidas TECHFIT™ POWERWEB running and training apparel |
adidas |
| Stella McCartney „Gym / Yoga“ apparel collection |
adidas |
| adilibria and Fuse women’s training apparel collections |
adidas |
| Team Signature basketball shoe collection |
adidas |
| Predator® PowerSwerve football boot | adidas |
| adiPure football boot | adidas |
| UEFA EURO 2008™ national team jerseys – home kit |
adidas |
| UEFA EURO 2008™ match ball | adidas |
| Trinity KFS II running shoe | Reebok |
| PUMP Paris Trainer running shoe | Reebok |
| HATANA women’s running shoe | Reebok |
| Scarlett „Hearts“ Rbk footwear and apparel collection |
Reebok |
| Freestyle footwear and apparel collection |
Reebok |
| NFL Zero Degrees apparel collection | Reebok |
| Rbk EDGE Uniform System™ hockey apparel |
Reebok-CCM Hockey |
| Footwear collection featuring adidas TORSION® system |
Rockport |
| r7® SuperQuad driver | TaylorMade-adidas Golf |
| Burner® driver | TaylorMade-adidas Golf |
| POWERBAND adidas Golf shoe | TaylorMade-adidas Golf |
| TOUR360 II adidas Golf shoe | TaylorMade-adidas Golf |
