Adidas & Puma | Success Story of the Two Brothers

The second-largest sportswear manufacturer globally, Adidas was founded in the small town Herzogenaurach of Germany. Adolf Dassler is the prime founder of this multinational corporation. Initially, the company manufactured shoes, then getting updated, they introduced shoes with a microprocessor. Adding to their wealth, they set up a textile industry also.

Early life & Career

The origin of this company happened in Germany, where Adolf “Adi” Dassler used to make sports shoes in his mother’s laundry room. Later, His elder brother Rudolf joined him in 1924. And together they named their firm “Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory”. Both the boys worked hard with everything. They did not have enough regular supply of electricity, so sometimes they used pedal power for their equipment.

Adolf made the updated version of spiked running shoes. He replaced the heavy metal spikes with rubber and canvas. With the regular selling of 2,00,000 pairs of shoes, Their Business touched heights before world war II. Along with it, they gained Owens’ four gold medals.
In 1933, Dassler Brothers joined the NSDAP. Also, they became members of the National Socialist Motor Corps. Dassler’s company was the only show company running during the war. But in 1943, They got forced to stop the business and engage their workforce to supply anti-tank weapons.

US Forces had almost destroyed the Dassler Factory after the war because they manufactured anti-tank weapons. It saved only because of Adolf Dassler’s wife. She convinced them that they are into this and are only show manufacturers. After this, the American workforce became the significant buyers of Dassler Brothers’ shoes.

Split up

The Dassler Brothers, Adolf and Rudolf, split up in 1947 due to their broken-down family relations. Following this, Adolf took Adidas AG’s name from his name ‘Adi’ Dassler. And Rudolf named his company Ruda (now known as Puma). Their companies received formal registration on 18th August 1949.

The Dassler brothers, Adolf and Rudolf, Adidas and Puma, stepped into the market and became the business rivals. The competition in the town had gone so far the people of the town kept looking at each other’s feet to identify which brand they were wearing. This was happening on a large scale so, they named it “the town of bent necks”. Their fan clubs went precisely divided. The football clubs also got divided; one was for Adidas players and one for those who wore Puma. Even the handymen who came to Rudolf’s residence instructed to wear only Puma. The two brothers never ended their rivalry.

Present

Recently, in the year 2005, Adidas AG introduced Adidas 1. This came up as the first-ever shoe production company which used microprocessors. The microprocessor allows adjusting cushioning level in the shoe according to comfort and outside environment. The calculator can perform 5 million calculations per second. This shoe summoned as “The World’s First Intelligent Shoe”.
Adidas were generating their highest revenues ever by the end of 2012.

In 2015, Adidas became the owner of Runtastic, a fitness technology firm. They bought it for approximately $240 million.

Puma and Adidas Launched new men’s shoes for Gym and outdoor activities, and if you are a person who loves sports and wanna play comfortably, these newly launched shoes are way helpful.

Recent Update:

In 2022, India became the first country in the world to go live with German Sportswear Giant Puma’s mobile shopping app. Last year, Puma earned record revenue of Rs 2,044 crore in the country and decided to renew its investment plan keeping India on the high priority list. The brand added 51 new stores in India last year, and now it has over 400 stores in the country.  Adidas is renewing its contract with Italy’s FIGC for men’s, women’s, and even esports teams; this deal is gone make around 35 million euros ($38.5 million) annually.

Interesting Facts About Adidas & Puma

• Adolf “Adi” Dassler, the founder of Adidas, was a cobbler and inventor who started making sports shoes in his mother’s laundry room in the 1920s.
• Puma, which was founded by Rudolf Dassler, originally started as a company called Ruda, which stood for Rudolf Dassler. The company later changed its name to Puma.
• In the 1950s, Adidas released its iconic “Three Stripes” logo, which has since become one of the most recognized and iconic logos in the world.
• Puma is known for its “Formstrip” logo, which is a series of parallel stripes that run down the sides of the company’s shoes.
• Adidas has a long history of innovation in the sportswear industry, and has introduced many groundbreaking products over the years, including the first pair of sneakers with removable spikes, the first tracksuit, and the first pair of sneakers with a built-in microprocessor.
• Puma is also known for its innovative products, and has released a number of successful sneakers and sports apparel over the years, including the Puma Clyde, the Puma Suede, and the Puma Disc.
• Both Adidas and Puma have a strong presence in the world of professional sports, and have sponsored many world-famous athletes and teams over the years.

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