Philip Hambach - adidas

What does it take to grow a global brand in today’s complex, fast-moving landscape? For Philip Hambach, who has spent more than 18 years at adidas working at the intersection of brand strategy, insights and data, the answer lies in balance. Balance between global and local, between product and brand, and increasingly, between human judgement and machine intelligence. In this conversation, Philip shares how adidas has evolved its approach to brand growth and how data and AI are reshaping the role of insights in driving strategic decisions.

Availability with a Point of View

At adidas, brand growth starts with a clear shift in thinking. “We’ve basically switched from a loyalty-based assumption of brand growth into a much more Ehrenberg-Bass school of thought,” Philip explains. Like many organisations, adidas has embraced the importance of penetration, light buyers, and availability.

Yet, this is only part of the story. adidas consciously builds on top of these principles with a strong emphasis on positioning and credibility. “We still have a strong point of view on brand positioning and the concept of credibility,” Philip says.

That nuance is critical in a category that is far more complex than traditional FMCG. “The category landscape within our industry has become very diverse and convergent,” he explains. Even something as seemingly simple as running is not one category. “If we say running, what is running?” Philip asks. “You have people who run marathons, and then people who do everyday running, it’s a whole different universe.”

In this context, brand growth cannot rely solely on availability. It requires a clear narrative that holds together across different use cases while remaining credible in each. “The brand becomes a framework which sets the boundaries,” he explains, allowing adidas to balance consistency with flexibility across categories.

“The category landscape within our industry has become very diverse and convergent. If we say running, what is running? You have people who run marathons and people who do everyday running; it’s a whole different universe”

The Cycle of Product, Brand, and Investment

Rather than seeing product and brand as competing drivers, adidas approaches them as part of a dynamic system. “It’s more a question of cycle,” Philip says. In periods of growth, strong products can act as the initial trigger. “When we started our journey on strong brand growth, the ignition was our lifestyle product.” As key franchises gained traction, they created a knock-on effect on the brand.

Over time, however, that relationship shifts. As brand strength increases, it begins to lift performance across categories. “At the moment, we see that the brand has actually increased significantly. And that carries over into categories where the product is not so strong.”

This cyclical dynamic reinforces the importance of long-term brand investment. A strong brand does not just drive growth when everything is working; it also provides resilience when product strength fluctuates. “The brand does a very good job in alleviating some of the pressures we see in the marketplace,” Philip notes.

This thinking is closely linked to adidas’ recent rebalancing of its marketing approach. After a period of strong focus on digital and performance marketing, the company has shifted back towards brand building. “That was the ignition of rebalancing some of our investment into more brand messaging,” Philip explains.

Anchored by the “You Got This” platform, this shift has created greater consistency across markets. “Everybody’s committed to preserving consistency on the brand level,” he says. The results have been clear: “From all the things we track, it’s a home run.”

“At the moment, we see that the brand has actually increased significantly. And that carries over into categories where the product is not so strong.”

Global Scale, Local Relevance, and the Role of Data

If product and brand form one balancing act, global and local form another. For adidas, this dynamic has evolved into a more integrated model. “It works a bit like a pendulum, some tighter global focus, some more market focus,” Philip explains.

Today, the organisation is more aligned than before. “We’ve been able to build the recipe on how to best align global and market.” Global teams provide the overarching framework, while local markets bring cultural relevance and execution. This is particularly important in areas like sports marketing. “If you want to come easier to mind in the North American marketplace, you need to give us the authority to sign local partnerships,” Philip says.

At the same time, local markets are not just executors; they are sources of innovation. A strong example is a Chinese New Year product that scaled globally. “That was a track jacket adaptation from China and became a global bestseller.”

This ability to connect global scale with local insight is a key driver of growth. As Philip puts it, it is less about choosing between the two and more about “smart connection”. Underpinning all of this is a rapidly evolving data and technology capability. adidas is investing heavily in integrating multiple data sources into a unified system. “We’re basically building our own conversational AI that makes us super fast in analysing all the data we need,” Philip explains.

“If you want to become easier to mind in the North American marketplace, you need to give us the authority to sign local partnerships.”

By combining brand tracking, behavioural data and commercial performance, the organisation is moving towards faster, more connected decision-making. This is not just about efficiency, but about changing how insights are used. Decision-making becomes more continuous, with insights embedded in everyday business processes rather than delivered as retrospective reports.

At the same time, adidas is exploring the use of AI for testing and iteration. “We’re exploring synthetic users to test concept ideas and run multiple iterations at scale,” Philip explains.

While this opens up new possibilities, he remains cautious about its role in creativity. “I have doubts that AI engines running creative processes end-to-end because the results average out to an average result.”

In a category where distinctiveness is critical, this is a significant limitation. As such, adidas sees AI as a tool to enhance speed, scale and learning, not as a replacement for human judgment or creativity.

“I have doubts that AI engines running creative processes end-to-end because the results average out to an average result.”

A Continuous Balancing Act

Ultimately, what emerges from Philip’s perspective is a view of brand growth as a continuous balancing act. Availability and positioning. Product and brand. Global scale and local relevance. Data and human judgement. None of these is a fixed choice. Instead, they shift over time, requiring constant calibration.

What is clear, however, is that adidas has built a model that is both structured and adaptable. By combining clear strategic principles with the flexibility to respond to context, the brand is able to navigate complexity rather than simplify it. As Philip reflects, the organisation is in a strong position: “We got the agency to be well in position — we’re pretty much right.”

In an environment where change is constant, that ability to balance, adapt, and stay aligned may be one of the most powerful drivers of sustained brand growth.