A

PROJECT REPORT ON
“A Comparative Analysis of Nike and Adidas Commercials”

SUBMITTED TO
CHHATRAPATI SHAHU JI MAHARAJ UNIVERSITY (CSJMU),
KANPUR, U.P
IN
PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF
FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

SUBMITTED BY: SHIVAM SINGH

ROLL NUMBER: 22014002972

UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF

MR. FARAZ KHAN
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

KANPUR INSTITUTE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

(Affiliated to Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, U.P)
A-1, UPSIDC Industrial Area, Rooma, Kanpur.
Uttar Pradesh-208001

SESSION: 2024-2025
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work presented in this report entitled,

"A Comparative Analysis of Nike and Adidas Commercials", was carried
out by me. I have not submitted the matter embodied in this project report
for the award of any other degree or diploma of any other University or
Institute.

I have given due credit to the original authors/sources for all the words,
ideas, diagrams, graphics, computer programs, experiments, results, that
are not my original contribution. I have used quotation marks to identify
verbatim sentences and given credit to the original authors/sources. I
affirm that no portion of my work is plagiarized, and the experiments and
results reported in the project report are not manipulated. In the event of a
complaint of plagiarism and the manipulation of the experiments and
results, I shall be fully responsible and answerable.

Student Name: Shivam Singh

Roll. No. : 22014002972

(Candidate Signature)
 College Certificate

This is to certify that the investigation described in this report titled “A Comparative
Analysis of Nike and Adidas Commercials” has been carried out by Shivam Singh as a
project. The study was done partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION at Kanpur Institute of Higher Education,
Kanpur. Affiliated to Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur, U.P

This work is the own work of the candidate, complete in all respects and is of sufficiently
high standard to warrant its submission to the said degree. The assistance and resources used
for this work are duly acknowledged.

Mr. Rajesh Singh

(Coordinator, Business Administration)
 Acknowledgements

Project Report is the one of the important parts of BBA program, which has helped me
to gain a lot of experience, which will be beneficial in my succeeding career.
For this with an ineffable sense of gratitude. I take this opportunity to express my deep
sense of indebtedness and gratitude to Dr. Brajesh Varshney (Director), Kanpur
Institute of Technology and Mr. Faraz Khan (Head), Department of Business
Administration, for their encouragement, support and guidance in carrying out the
project.

I am very much thankful for their interest, constructive criticism, persistent encouragement
and untiring Guidance through out the development of the project. It has been my great
privilege to work under their inspiring guidance.

I am also thankful to my Parents and my friends for their indelible Co-operation for
achieving the Goal of this study.

Signature :

Name of Student : Shivam Singh

Roll No.: 22014002972

 A
Nike an= A=i=as �ommercials
- A Multimodal Approach to Building Brand Strategies
Abstract
Heavy competition in the sports industry has caused organisations like Nike and Adidas to
focus on more than just selling sportswear- and equipment. Organisations need to differenti­
ate themselves and focus on both product attributes and brand values when creating brand
strategies. Therefore, we have found it interesting to see how Nike and Adidas communicate
their branding strategy differently and have set up the following hypothesis and questions:

In Nike and Adidas commercials the organisations make use of complex multimodal
choices in order to communicate their branding strategies.
1. Which multimodal choices do Nike and Adidas employ in order to communicate their
branding strategies?
2. Which personality traits are similar and different in Nike and Adidas product and value
commercials?

Due to the complexity of our hypothesis, we will employ three frameworks: social semiotics,
film theory, and branding. These frameworks will help us to analyse and make meaning of the
four commercials: Nike's "Master Accuracy. Hit The Target,, and "Is talent all it takes?,, and
Adidas' "The Spark,, and "Chelsea FC - Every Team Needs The 12 th Man11 In order to answer
•

the first question, we will analyse the four commercials by applying multimodal concepts and
film theory. The multimodal analysis derives from social semiotics and M.A.K. Halliday's
meaning-making of language, but as more contemporary concepts from Gunther Kress, Theo
van Leeuwen, and Rick !edema have been explored within image and tele-filmic texts, these
approaches will be the multimodal foundation for the analysis. Additionally, film theories will
add further aspects to the analysis, as Edvin Kau's notion on film editing strategies, Theo van
Leeuwen's view on soundscape, and J0rgen Stigel's concept of voice-over narrator will help
explore the multimodal choices applied in the four commercials.

In order to answer the second question of the thesis, brand identity perspectives offered by
David A. Aaker and Jean-Noel Kapferer will accompany these two frameworks. Most interest­
ing to the empirical data and our thesis is their perspective on brand personality and value
propositions, which will help substantiate Nike and Adidas' applied branding strategy.
6. Branding ............................................................................................................. 46
6.1. Product vs. Product..................................................................................................................................... 46
6.2. Value vs. Value ..............................................................................................................................................48
6.3. Nike vs. Adidas ..............................................................................................................................................49

7. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 51

Bibliography .......................................................................................................... 53

Glossary ................................................................................................................... 5 7
Mads N 0rgaard Hansen and Dennis Gade Pedersen BA Thesis 2010

charge. The last element of this shot is the absence of gaze making Zidane an object of con­
templation. The shot connotes that we should be involved with Zidane, but we are not at the
same level as him (scene 7:shot 1-2, scene 19) because he is looking for talents to his team
("Every Team Needs") emphasising the team spirit aspect.

A large contribution of involvement is also provided by the use of the dream, as a dream is
normally personal. Therefore, being part of a Messi's dream connects a strong tie between
Messi and the viewer. The viewer is positioned so close to Messi that we see his dream in de­
tails.Because the product is part of his dream and the way it has been made salient, the prod­
uct therefore appears special. The connection between the boot and Messi personifies the
product and the viewer is persuaded to act on this product personification. This dream-like
flash-forward seems supernatural because the viewer is involved in the fundamentally impos­
sible dream, which corresponds very well with Adidas' slogan "Impossible is nothing".
Another form of involvement and dynamic is the handheld camera utilised in parts of the
commercial. The handheld camera often follows the rhythm of the opponent defenders as
they are tricked by Messi's stunning technique. This type of camera technique gives the sense
of the viewer being present on the field. It is especially noticeable in the dream, when Messi
dribbles down the field, that the camera usesclose-up shots of Messi's body, legs, as well as the
product to add action. The interplay between Messi and the product is closely followed and
focused upon (scene 8, 10, 12, 14 etc.) making the product an irreplaceable component for
Messi's ability to fight his way throughhis opponents. This is also supported in the last part
(scene 21:shot 2) as Messi walks onto the field, where the entire focus is on the fSOi boots,
which again emphasises the importance of the supernatural product. Generally, this high level
of involvement gives the viewer the interpretation of actively participating. Another way of
establishing relationship is through the sound mode.

5.1.2.2.2. Sound-wise
The absence of voice-over places much emphasis on the non-diegetic music and thediegetic
sounds. The music is as described used to launch as well as add dimension to the dream. The
music is first positioned in figure, but during the dream it moves between the role of figure
and ground, which makes the commercial persuasive. Additionally, by positioning the music
in figure, the music involves the viewer intoMessi's dream. The diegeticsounds create a sense

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