Behind the Competition Between Nike and Adidas

As if in love, they will not turn to another heart. This is not just a figure of speech or sweet talk, but a true story of global brand lovers such as Adidas and Nike. For some people, if they already use Adidas, they will not buy Nike or vice versa. They remain loyal to one product for years.

That's what Fildaz Raeditya (33) felt. At least, for almost 10 years the man who is familiarly called Didit has been using Adidas products and has never bought from other brands. Of the several brands he has used, Adidas is the product that fits his feet the best and suits his taste so that it gives him confidence.

”Adidas Durability. There are eight pairs of shoes in total. From the cheapest Rp300,000 at Superstar and the most expensive around Rp3 million, Microacer. Well, this is one of my favorite shoes. The shoes that are often worn are Adizero SL,” said Didit, Tuesday (3/18/2025).

The man from Blitar, Central Java, admitted that he would not stop and still intends to add to his collection of Adidas shoes or clothes. One that Didit is currently eyeing is the classic Adidas Adifom model.

According to Didit, the reason he is loyal to Adidas is because the brand offers a classic concept. In addition, several Adidas series present a futuristic impression, even a combination of the two concepts.

"Consistency, classic and modern, comfortable on my feet, and tells a story, that's what makes me not buy other brands," said Didit.

Likewise with Yavi Diamanta. Until the age of 30, he never switched to a brand other than Nike. He doesn't even remember how many Nike shoes he has bought.

"Nike is really good in terms of campaign. Bold, well crafted, and athlete. I really like Nike athletes. The story of Nike being able to get Michael Jordan as an athlete, for example. Not to mention Nike's iconic shoes that have become a culture," said Yavi.

Yavi's love for Michael Jordan is evident from his collection and it is his favorite shoe that is often worn, namely Air Jordan 1. According to him, the Air Jordan 1 model is timeless. Other favorite shoes in his collection are Nike Blazer Mid 77 and Jordan 1 Purple Court.

"Other collections include Nike KD11, Jordan 11 Low Barons, and Nike Vaporfly. I will still add to my Nike collection. I have really liked it since I was little and Nike suits me. So I don't buy anything else," said the man who works as an art director.

The competition to steal the hearts of consumers is not only seen from the story of Yavi and Didit. The two brands Nike and Adidas also appear to be competing on the global stage.

Quoting Brand Finance data, in the fields of apparel or fashion these two brands are in the top 10 most valuable brands in the world in 2024.

Nike, for example, has a brand value of up to 29.873 billion US dollars or second place. Nike's position was displaced by Louis Vuitton from France which has a market value of 32.235 billion US dollars. As for 2023, when sitting in first place, Nike has a market value of 31.3 billion US dollars.

Meanwhile, in 2024, Adidas is ranked eighth with a market value of 14.448 billion US dollars. Adidas' position is also relegated from the top five. In 2023, Adidas is in fifth place with a market value of 15.660 billion US dollars.

Despite both experiencing a decline in ranking, the two brands are among the 10 strongest brands in the world in 2025. Nike and Adidas even outperform brands that have much larger market values such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, Samsung, Walmart, and NVIDIA.

The first rank of the world's strongest brand is occupied by WeChat with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) reaching a value of 95.2. The second rank is occupied by Nike reaching a BSI value of 94.7. Then in third place is Google with a BSI value of 94.3. Meanwhile, Adidas is ranked ninth with a BSI value of 93.4.

With the power of branding, these two brands have a large income. Based on Statista data published on January 14, 2025, Adidas' revenue reached 23.683 billion euros in 2024, up from 2023, which was 21.427 billion euros.

Meanwhile, Nike recorded revenue of 47.78 billion euros in 2024. Previously, in 2023, Nike earned revenue of 42.65 billion euros.

This large income is also inseparable from the spread of retail stores and the number of Nike and Adidas workers throughout the world.

Statista data on January 14, 2025 noted that Adidas Group had 1,863 retail stores in 2023. Statista data on March 17, 2025 also noted that Adidas had 62,035 workers worldwide in 2024.

Meanwhile, as of May 31, 2024, Nike had 79,400 workers worldwide. It was also recorded that there were 1,045 Nike retail stores spread throughout the world.

Behind the competition between Nike and Adidas, it turns out that there is quite a significant impact on the Indonesian footwear and clothing industry.

Ministry of Industry spokesperson, Febri Hendri Antoni Arief, when confirmed, said that in the past year, Indonesia has become the main choice for world-renowned brands, such as Nike and Adidas, to expand their production.

"Indonesia now contributes almost 30 percent of the total global factory workforce of Adidas and Nike. This is real evidence that the competitiveness of our manufacturing industry is increasingly recognized by the world," said Febri.

According to Febri, this competitiveness not only strengthens Indonesia's position as a world-class manufacturing center, but also presents wider employment opportunities for domestic workers.

Indonesia has succeeded in attracting more production allocations from the two global brand giants, even shifting production centers from countries such as China, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

In the footwear sector, 7,644 new workers will be recruited in 2024, up 3 percent compared to the previous year, bringing the total number of workers in this sector to 271,774 people.

Meanwhile, in the clothing sector, recruitment growth was more rapid with the addition of 10,013 new workers or a jump of 30 percent year on year (yoy) so that the total became 36,409 workers.

Most of Adidas and Nike's supplier factories in Indonesia are owned by foreign investors, mainly from China, South Korea, and Taiwan. According to Febri, investors are increasingly active in adding workers to increase production capacity. For example, Ontide (South Korea) and Korrun (Vietnam) have recruited more Indonesian workers.

On the other hand, PT Pancaprima Ekabrothers experienced a 10.9 percent decrease in the number of workers. Meanwhile, Adidas is exploring the opening of a new factory in Indonesia through local partners, such as PT Adonia and PT Aroma.

The Ministry of Industry noted that the performance of footwear and clothing exports will be increasingly strong throughout 2024. Indonesia's total footwear and clothing exports in 2024 reached 11.2 billion US dollars or increased by 9.8 percent compared to the previous year.

The United States remains the largest market, absorbing 60 percent of Indonesia's clothing exports. Meanwhile, for footwear, exports to the U.S. surged by 24.6 percent year-on-year, equivalent to 2.9 billion U.S. dollars.

The Ministry of Industry sees this positive trend as a great opportunity to strengthen the domestic industry. Not only does it increase Indonesia's competitiveness in the global market, but it also opens up new jobs and provides a broad multiplier effect.

"We are committed to continuously creating a conducive investment climate, improving workforce skills, and strengthening industrial infrastructure so that Indonesia increasingly becomes a strategic partner in the global supply chain," said Febri.

Behind the rivalry between the two giant brands, Nike and Adidas, investments are expected to continue flowing in and further strengthen the domestic footwear and apparel industry.