Adidas and BASF “Boost” into the spotlight
Apparently, the sports apparel company Adidas and the world leading chemistry company BASF has had a working relationship for more than 25 years, but the common consumer (myself) had never even heard of BASF until the Adidas boost shoe-line stormed onto the scene back in 2013. Adidas as a footwear company has always taken pride in its “throwback” style, relying upon the classics such as the Stan Smith’s and Superstar to keep the brand afloat and relevant. This tactic allowed Adidas to stay afloat, yes, but the lack of advancement over the years resulted in the company falling into the shadow of more innovative sneaker giant Nike. Nike has always been able to market to consumers of all ages, thanks to its retro models as well as the new technology released what seems like every year. However, with Boost technology, Adidas became competitive once again.

Thanks to BASF, the creation of Infinergy foam allowed Adidas to boost its game, kicking things off with its EnergyBoost shoe and running the material through a series of uber successful models which included the Yeezy Boost. Due in large part to the marketing of the excellent boost material, Adidas was able to recruit Kanye West from Nike and sign him to the team as major sponsor. When Mr. West was greeted with the Energy Boost shoe to try on, he responded with “this is amazing”, and immediately demanded that his shoe have the boost material included in the design. This completely changed the face of the sneaker market, as Adidas was finally able to obtain the one thing Nike had that it didn’t: the hype-beast consumer. Hype-beast is a term loosely thrown around the sneaker-head and urban streetwear scene, notably used to describe fashion trend “followers”. A hype-beast can be of any age, but the base of which is usually of a younger generation. With Kanye West on board, and the diverse use of boost technology in its sneaker models, the Adidas brand elevated itself to levels that it hasn’t seen since the days of Run DMC. By adding the “hyper-beast” to its consumer audience, while maintaining the older “original” fans, Adidas ensured that the brand would achieve a better sense of financial stability for the future.
As for BASF company, the popularity of boost technology has raised the awareness of its contributions across the board. Consumers are truly curious about this unprecedented sneaker technology, which has led to video reviews of the material that have garnered millions of views, highlighting the work of BASF and the science that went into production.
The Adidas EnergyBoost model went on to win the Red Dot award in 2013, which is one of the most prestigious design awards in the world. Immense commercial success such as that garnered by the boost technology benefits not only the consumer brand like Adidas, but also shines some positive publicity upon the product developer company, which can never hurt. There are obvious co-marketing opportunities that have become available for both brands. However, I feel that BASF could benefit even more-so if they chose to, especially if more innovation like the boost technology continues.
