With long socks and shorts, at the airport or just strolling through town. Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, or Blanca Suárez are among the celebrities who have fallen for Adidas’ classic three-stripe sneakers, a fact they make clear on their social media. It seems incredible that the Samba’s origins go back to the 1950s when Adidas founder Adolf Dassler designed the footwear to give footballers better traction on icy pitches. Now, thousands compete for limited-edition drops created in collaboration with Leo Messi or Pharrell Williams, among others. These collaborations helped Adidas pivot its financial results and lift sales even as the broader apparel and footwear industry faced profit warnings from competitors such as Nike, Puma, and Foot Locker.
Until recently, Adidas had posted several quarters of losses, with net profit in 2023 at its lowest in two decades. But the new year brought a reversal. Revenues rose 8.9% to 5.822 billion euros and attributable net profit surged 125.8% to 190 million euros in the second quarter of 2024, driven mainly by the footwear division, which continued to power revenue growth with a 17% rise. Although the company does not disclose individual shoe sales, it attributes this positive trend to a double-digit expansion in Samba sales. By 2023, Samba’s contribution to total company revenue rose from 10% in 2015 to 26% in 2023, with 2024 figures still pending to confirm continued momentum for this popular model.
Rivals faced a very different picture. Nike tumbled about 20% in June after forecasting a 10% revenue drop in its fiscal first quarter, a decline expected to extend into 2025. Revenue edged up 0.3% overall, even as Converse sales fell 14%. Puma also reported a 13.7% drop in profits in 2023, tied to softer demand, while Foot Locker closed its first fiscal quarter in 2024 with a 2.7% sales decline.
Social media, celebrities, and the Samba phenomenon
What makes Samba so irresistible that it has helped buoy Adidas’ financials? A marketing strategy tuned to contemporary consumer behavior. One analyst says Adidas turned Samba into a reference product by leaning on online channels rather than traditional media such as TV or radio, making the shoe go viral. The key is tailoring messages to the target audience: younger buyers are drawn to seeing influencers, actresses, and musicians flaunting the sneakers, while older consumers respond to nostalgia. Limited editions add another essential ingredient in fashion: exclusivity. They are attitude-driven products, not priced-based offers, according to a fashion strategist.
Three factors summarize the enduring appeal of a sneaker that has occupied storefronts for seven decades. First, the block-core fashion trend that combines sportswear with smarter pieces, pulling the gaze of fashion toward classic models originally designed for sport. Adidas previously tapped nostalgia with Stan Smiths, one of the era’s best-selling sneakers, while Catalan brand Munich found success by translating court models to streetwear. Second, social media, particularly an effective TikTok presence that helps recruit younger fans eager to try new drops. Third, collaboration with renowned designers such as Yamamoto or Wales Bonner and a growing roster of celebrities who proudly pose in Samba silhouettes.
Ultimately, Samba helped offset broader sector declines in apparel, pressured by weaker demand from China and the United States, the latter being Nike’s largest market. Adidas’ exposure remains more Europe-centric, limiting the share of revenue generated by footwear but keeping it the fastest-growing division within the company.
The challenge for the rest of the industry is the softer demand in North America and the resulting revenue pressure. Nike has faced questions about innovation and a lukewarm shift toward direct-to-consumer channels, compounded by strained retailer relationships that complicate idea generation and consumer insight. In response, Nike unveiled a program to strengthen retailer communications and allocated roughly 1 billion to improve consumer-facing activities, including design. Meanwhile, neither Nike nor peers have matched Adidas’ prowess on social media, though experts note room for improvement through product personalization using data-driven approaches.
In summary, Adidas’ Samba story illustrates how a heritage product can become a strategic asset through targeted storytelling, exclusive drops, and social media amplification, turning nostalgia into sustained growth in a competitive market. The broader industry continues to adjust to shifting demand in key regions, with many brands rethinking how to blend style, sport, and storytelling in a digital-first world [Attribution: industry analysis based on quarterly reports and expert commentary].