Case studies

Adidas

Bridging global and local sustainability strategy
through culture mapping

Problem

Adidas are an established global lifestyle and sports brand, built on decades of brand affinity and storytelling. Their new global sustainability strategy was ready to be actioned in Japan, but cultural nuances mean sustainability is perceived differently to global contexts.

Global norms and definitions around sustainability and activism are assumed to apply everywhere, but customers in Japan have distinct cultural and societal expectations that bring additional layers and behaviours to these concepts.

Tokyo-based teams in global companies are able to sense these culture gaps, but often lack the evidence or frameworks to articulate them in a way that global stakeholders and leaders can understand. This leads to ineffective investments that fail to connect with customers.

With clear commitments around carbon emissions and eliminating plastic, particularly around an upcycling partnership with Parley for the Oceans, Adidas were looking for new approaches to communicating these strategies in Japan.

Approach

We worked with Adidas global and
Tokyo-based teams to bridge their understanding of sustainability, with research focused on identifying and mapping cultural differences between Japanese, European, and North
American markets.

We worked with Adidas global and Tokyo-based teams to bridge their understanding of sustainability, with research focused on identifying and mapping cultural differences between Japanese, European, and North American markets.

Sustainability perspectives among younger and emerging customer segments were a priority for Adidas leadership, with these mindsets and behaviours seen as driving future growth.

A series of workshops with these leaders were used to test our culture mapping approach, communicating research outcomes while drawing in their own experience and perspectives.

Sustainability perspectives among younger and emerging customer segments were a priority for Adidas leadership, with these mindsets and behaviours seen as driving future growth.

A series of workshops with these leaders were used to test our culture mapping approach, communicating research outcomes while drawing in their own experience and perspectives.

Educational toolkit

This was turned into a practical toolkit for educating Adidas teams, including:

Frameworks for understanding cultural difference
Case studies describing how successful brands approach the Japanese market
Behavioural groups and personas drawn from research data
Training workshops to map and identify culture gaps going forward
Visual assets to support sustainable brand communications

This was turned into a practical toolkit for educating Adidas teams, including:

Frameworks for understanding cultural difference
Case studies describing how successful brands approach the Japanese market
Behavioural groups and personas drawn from research data
Training workshops to map and identify culture gaps going forward
Visual assets to support sustainable brand communications

Sustainability database

Behavioural groups and personas were drawn from our sustainability database and aligned to Adidas segmentation.

Outcomes

The toolkit developed has since been used by Adidas to localise global sustainability strategies and content for the Japanese market, elevating baseline brand storytelling and accelerating the path to execution.

Adidas brand leaders have used the toolkit to upskill and educate their teams, influencing people across the organisation and increasing cross-cultural understanding.

Insights from the research have also framed all sustainability related product launches in Japan over 2022-2023, with case studies and personas used by media and creative partners to design their strategies and campaigns.

Adidas brand leaders have used the toolkit to upskill and educate their teams, influencing people across the organisation and increasing cross-cultural understanding.

Contributors

Fabric

Isobel Walker

Brand Strategy Lead

Nick Ashley

Sustainability Lead

Keiko Ono

Senior Sustainability Strategist

Rei Kato

Senior Data Strategist

Maria Shimizu

Senior Visual Designer