With a shoe in the door, Adidas off and running for Games gold

I have never been a huge sports fan. My physical activities are limited to the gym - a place I visit four times a week where I can watch television or listen to the radio while working out.

I know nothing about the EPL, the NBA or the Olympic Games, but as a media columnist I do know how pricey their distribution rights are and I am well aware of their business and advertising value.

So I was interested to see that German sportswear giant Adidas had beaten off main global rival Nike and mainland favourite Li Ning recently to clinch a deal to sponsor the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Over the years, Adidas has been less fond of traditional advertising, such as television commercials, than its competitors - it spent 157.45 million yuan on advertising in China last year, according to Nielsen Media Research, compared with Nike's 262.45 million yuan.

But that doesn't mean Adidas is less aggressive with its brand promotion. The firm tends to go for offbeat marketing campaigns, such as the 'Impossible is Nothing' vertical sprint down a Hong Kong skyscraper in August last year, a stunt that caused quite a media stir.

The Olympic contract - estimated to be worth about US$80 million - allows Adidas to provide sportswear for all the staff, volunteers and technical officials at the 2008 Olympics and Paralympics. It will also outfit the Chinese Olympic teams competing at the 2006 Turin Winter Games and the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.