The swanky suite on the 17th floor of the Loews Miami Beach Hotel looks the part of a place hosting a sneaker company’s top dogs.
VIP patrons that include Miami AD Dan Radakovich and Dolphins QB Quinn Ewers come in and out throughout the day. A bartender mixes drinks in what one would assume is the living room.
Up a small spiral staircase, Adidas North America VP/Sports Marketing Chris McGuire nestles into a chair. McGuire has been integral in the company’s growing college sports efforts, recently adding Penn State and Tennessee.
On this sunny day in Miami, though, Chris McGuire grinned knowing that Adidas will have its first college football national champion since 1998.
Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
SBJ: What did this week look like for Adidas, and what kind of platform did it give the brand?
Chris McGuire: “Obviously, this week’s been tremendous for us. It’s years of hard work trying to work with all our schools and universities and making sure we get to this point. It’s the ultimate celebration for the brand right now. … We have a lot of activations happening here in Miami, a lot of out-of-home billboards up and around the city. So, [we] immediately looked at all those opportunities that we had available to us in that realm.
“We’ve done a lot of activation at retail. We did a pep rally at a local Dick’s Sporting Goods [on Saturday] morning, which was a lot of fun with [Browns TE] David Njoku, one of our partners on the NFL front, and obviously a Miami alum. Nice ties there.”
SBJ: Miami as a client is an interesting one, considering its long history with Nike. What went into getting them over to Adidas about 10 years ago?
CM: “… This is the ultimate goal. When we had the first talks with them, it was always about their strength in football helping get to a national stage and here we are. It’s a culmination of a 10-year plan that’s come to fruition. We’re extremely excited to have University of Miami, and then to have them here in their home city and home market playing is really special for them.”
SBJ: Indiana has been a partner for 25-plus years. You played soccer there and are familiar with the place. What has that property meant to Adidas, and what has the Hoosiers football run been like to watch?
CM: “It’s been more than a pleasant surprise for what’s happening within Indiana football historically. Obviously, a basketball powerhouse and someone that was a great partner on the basketball side and then to see what they’ve done in football the last two years has brought us a lot of credibility in the sport, really switched the momentum of the university and honestly the retail sales.
“We all see the strength of the fan base and where they’ve been traveling and how excited everyone is around the football program. Obviously, we’ve been able to benefit from the retail experience, too.”
SBJ: You all have seemingly been aggressive but selective in how you’ve entered the college space and added clients like Texas Tech and Tennessee. What’s the general strategy for Adidas?
CM: “Over the course of the last couple of years, adding Texas Tech and then Penn State — Tennessee will join this July — we see college as really the main platform for our brand right now, especially in the major sports: football, men’s and women’s basketball.
“I like to say it’s one-stop shopping for us because you have all these tremendous student athletes that we’re able to outfit and put ’em in our best products, and ultimately, they become advertisements for the brand. But college is where it’s at for us right now. The momentum and the planning and the resources that we put into this level of the game is something very special.”
SBJ: You’ve also been pretty aggressive in NIL. How would you describe your role in that world for colleges right now?
“I joke about over the course of the last decade, the arms race has always been about facilities with the universities, and now it’s all about NIL. We’re extremely excited to partner with all our universities.
“Obviously, we have some unique situations with Texas Tech where we include [Chiefs QB] Patrick Mahomes and his program. We launched that two years ago with them and that’s been a tremendous success. But really, now working day-to-day among the Tennessee’s, Penn State’s, Indiana’s, Miami’s to see what their needs are — let’s work together and figure out what that NIL program looks like for them.”
