“In 1994, when the World Cup first arrived on American soil, Nike’s soccer division brought in $40 million in annual revenue. This year, the figure is $1.7 billion. Together with subsidiary label Umbro, Nike is now the No. 1 soccer brand on the planet. Which is astonishing, given that 1) it’s an American company, and Americans still aren’t fully on board with this frou-frou soccer stuff; 2) Adidas, its major rival in the category, had been synonymous with big-time futbol for decades—long before swoosh-emblazoned soccer cleats were even a gleam in Phil Knight’s eye.”
Marketing helped establish Nike’s dominance in Soccer and crushed Adidas in the process. It should be noted that the Write the Future ad would have been an impossible dream in 1994.
