Brand Positioning and Brand Perception by Target Audience (the Case of Nike and Adidas)

The sports goods market is considered to be one of the largest in the world. The key players on the market are Nike and Adidas. In order to gain a foothold in the minds of consumers and differentiate against the background of competitors, companies allocate huge budgets to develop a clear positioning of their brand. However, is it justified to invest in creating a brand image and promoting it? Does the brand image of the brand that is designed with the real one coincide? Perceived by consumers? The purpose of this study is to find out whether there are differences between the positioning of Nike and Adidas brands and the perception of this positioning by the target audience. We have identified the key attributes of brands that are embedded in the identity and positioning of brands, and then compared the positioning and perception of brands by consumers. The results showed that some attributes are perceived by consumers, some are perceived incorrectly or mixed in the minds of consumers.