Business
Nike and Adidas square off for Brazil World Cup in ongoing brand battle
FRANKFURT – When soccer teams battle for the World Cup in Brazil next year, another fight for global supremacy will be played out on the pitches – between Adidas and Nike.
In the next round of their tussle to be the world’s biggest sports brand there is everything to play for.
Nike currently owns 14.6 percent of the global sporting goods market to Adidas’ 11.4 percent, and is whittling away at the German brand’s No. 1 position in Europe. Adidas held 13.2 percent of the western European sporting goods market in 2012 to Nike’s 12.4 percent, according to Euromonitor data.
“It’s not easy to evaluate (next year’s) collections. Adidas is definitely putting a lot of effort into winning lost ground, but a company like Nike won’t rest on its laurels,” said Hans Allmendinger, head of marketing for German sporting goods retailer Sport2000.
Adidas (ADSGn.DE) has for more than 40 years decorated soccer kit and shoes with its distinctive parallel lines logo. It has strong partnerships setting it up well for the coming challenge: a close relationship with German club Bayern Munich, of which it owns 9 percent, and with FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, for whom it designs official World Cup kit.
Adidas has forecast record 2014 soccer sales of over 2 billion euros and aims to boost group sales to 17 billion euros ($23 billion) in 2015.
U.S. Nike (NKE.N), meanwhile, only entered the soccer market in 1994. But already it has several major partnerships with clubs, including English champions Manchester United.
The owner of the distinctive ‘swoosh’ or tick logo, does not give forecasts for individual sport categories, but it is predicting group sales of up to $30 billion by 2015 – suggesting it thinks it can put in a sufficiently strong performance during the World Cup to stretch its global lead over the German company – and maybe beat it at home too.
In Nike’s first fiscal quarter of 2013, ended August31, it posted an 8 percent jump in sales in Europe. Over the same period, Adidas’ European sales fell 7 percent.
AMBUSH MARKETING
Adidas is pulling out all the stops to make its presence felt in Brazil, where Nike sponsors the national team.
Brazil have won the World Cup a record five times and the country is a byword for stylish soccer, meaning there is a huge buzz around the tournament – and Nike’s designs.
Adidas is aiming to make its presence felt with players like Lionel Messi and Mesut Ozil, who play for Adidas-sponsored national teams Argentina and Germany – and the launch of the official match ball, the “Brazuca” – on sale for $160 but free to Brazilians born on its launch day.
Given the scale of the battle however it will also be using what is politely known as “ambush marketing.” Soccer watchers cite as an early example in this year’s World Cup campaigns the launch of a new soccer top for the Palmeiras club in the yellow, green and blue worn by the Brazil national team.
“That will be ruffling a few feathers,” said Berenberg Bank analyst John Guy. “They’ve certainly got a few tactical moves up their sleeves to consolidate their position against Nike and that’s good to see.”
Klaus Jost, president of the world’s largest sportswear retailer Intersport, said Nike’s roster of top soccer players like Frenchman Franck Ribery and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the reasons for Nike’s increasing sales in Europe.
“It’s much more about creating the right image,” he told Reuters. “Stars like Ribery, Ronaldo and (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic have such an attraction that many kids want to copy them.”
BIG STARS
Big name endorsements are also responsible for Nike’s broader success.
Retailers say the U.S. brand has gained market share this year thanks to well designed, comfortable products such as the top-selling Nike Free sneaker – and getting its performance-enhancing shoes on the feet of the biggest sports stars.
Nike’s impressive roster of sponsorship deals includes current names like soccer star Ronaldo, tennis player Roger Federer, golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and legendary track and field athletes like Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson.
“Nike has done a really good job of presenting themselves as the true brand for performance,” Tammy Smulder, managing director at marketing consultancy SCB Partners, told Reuters.
“Nike says, ‘We will be associated with the top athletes, whatever the sport’. You can’t dispute that,” she added.
Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer said this week the group had made some mistakes, but added: “We believe we can grow the business by launching a lot of new innovative products. Our pipeline of new products is full.”
One of the ways Adidas is hoping to grow sales is by using the cushioning technology in its Boost running shoes for other categories such as basketball. That could enable it to increase sales of Boost shoes to 15 million pairs in 2015, after having only introduced the line earlier this year.
It has signed big names in sports other than soccer in a bid to gain market share from Nike. But its partnership with U.S. basketball star Derrick Rose has run into difficulties as a result of Rose suffering several injuries that have kept him off the court for months.
HOW TO MEASURE COOL?
The biggest challenge in the battle of the brands is to win the crown of cool – something far more difficult than simply designing a new product.
At the moment, say market watchers and consultants, Nike seems to be stealing a march on Adidas thanks to early adoption of new technologies which it is then harnessing to a bigger social media presence.
“They have a good hunch for the next wave that will define a generation,” Lea Simpson, strategy director at digital strategy agency TH_NK, told Reuters.
“In the 1980s, it was fitness, now it’s tech and sustainability.”
Nike has almost 2.5 million Twitter followers to just over 570,000 for Adidas. It also has higher Facebook engagement rates, showing its fans interact better than Adidas fans with posted content.
Its Nike+ Fuelband and other apps track training and can then post results on social media sites – a far more powerful demonstration of brand involvement than a Facebook ‘like’, Simpson said.
Adidas CEO Hainer said this week that the company would shift “much more money” into digital and social media.
Garth Farrar, global head of digital at Repucom, noted Adidas had already been producing more Vine clips, Facebook posts and tweets over the last months.
He said Adidas’ social media campaign looked geared to “give the brand more cultural relevance beyond Europe .. and help protect the brand from any ambush stunts from Nike around the World Cup.”
– REUTERS
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) claimed that it saved $3.4 billion through contract restructuring and optimisation between April 2025 and July 2026.
Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, made the assertion in Abuja at the opening of the 25th Nigeria Oil & Gas (NOG) Energy Week, while highlighting the impact of ongoing reforms aimed at improving operational efficiency, reducing costs, strengthening partnerships, and enhancing value delivery to the federation.
Ojulari also stated that the national oil company had maintained full compliance with its joint venture cash call obligations.
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According to the scorecard presented by the NNPC Ltd, the $3.4 billion cost savings were realised through contract restructuring and optimisation initiatives across the company’s operations.
The reforms also contributed to an increase in government revenue, with the NNPC Ltd reporting a government take of N19.5 trillion, representing a 21.8 per cent year-on-year increase.
Besides, a major highlight of the report was NNPC’s 100 percent compliance with its joint venture cash call obligations across all its joint ventures from Financial Year 2025 to June 2026.
However, the company’s partners recorded a blended compliance rate of just 61 percent.
Of the 27 joint venture partners, only six were fully current with their obligations, while 13 recorded partial compliance with an average payment rate of 72 percent, and eight remained in significant default, paying an average of only 14 percent, prompting Joint Operating Agreement remedies.
The NNPC Ltd said it remained committed to sustaining its cash call obligations to support Nigeria’s target of achieving two million barrels of oil production per day.
Operationally, the company reported a six percent increase in crude oil production year-on-year and an 8.1 percent rise in gas production over the same period, reflecting improvements in upstream operations.
Ojulari also highlighted several strategic partnerships concluded since the last Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference, including a long term gas supply agreement with Nigeria LNG, progress on deepwater investments valued at over $20 billion, refinery related partnerships, industrial gas projects, and new gas supply arrangements.
Looking ahead, the company identified seven priority projects expected to drive production and gas infrastructure growth through 2027.
These, it said, included the UTM Floating LNG project, the OB3 East West Connector, the AKK gas pipeline, refinery technical enhancement projects, the Zabazaba deepwater development, the Owowo field, and the BSWAP project.
The state oil major added that the combination of cost optimisation, stronger operational performance, improved infrastructure reliability, and strategic partnerships would reinforce Nigeria’s energy security, boost government revenues, and support sustainable growth in oil and gas production.
Ojulari said the national oil company achieved 98 percent recovery across five crude export terminals between April 2025 and May 2026, up from one per cent at Bonny in June 2022.
He put current output at 1.71mbpd, the highest in five years, with the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) hitting a record 365,000 bpd.
Gas production, he said, reached 7.5 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d) following the River Niger crossing on the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Pipeline and inauguration of the ANOH Gas Plant.
Ojulari added that the NNPC Ltd had “zero tolerance for partners who are not able to fund their Cash-call” and had begun invoking default clauses.
He stressed collaboration over control, saying, “We have rid ourselves of any pseudo-regulation. We are not the super-regulator. Let them regulate. We want to work.”
Energia Limited and its Joint Venture partner, Oando Plc, have inaugurated the board of trustees of the Ndokwa West-1 Host Community Development Trust (HCDT).
The inauguration marked a significant milestone in strengthening sustainable development, transparency and community participation across their host communities in Delta State.
The inauguration, held in Asaba, also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Energia-Oando Joint Venture and the seven host communities, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021.
The event brought together representatives of Delta State Government, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), traditional rulers, community leaders, members of the newly inaugurated board of trustees, and other key stakeholders from the oil and gas industry.
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Representing the Governor of Deputy Governor, Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Christopher Osaskwe commended Energia Limited and the host communities for successfully establishing the Trust and signing the Memorandum of Understanding.
He described the initiative as a demonstration of mutual commitment to partnership and sustainable development, while urging the newly inaugurated board to discharge its responsibilities with transparency, accountability and fairness.
He also encouraged host communities to continue protecting oil and gas infrastructure and embrace dialogue as the preferred approach to resolving disputes.
Managing Director, Energia Limited, Oladimeji Bashorun, described the inauguration as the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between Energia and its host communities.
According to him, the company remains focused on building partnership, shared responsibility and sustainable development rather than dependency.
He noted that while the PIA provides a structured framework for host community development, Energia’s commitment to its host communities predates the legislation and has remained a core part of the Company’s operating philosophy since it achieved First Oil in 2009.
“Communities that host our operations should also share meaningfully in the opportunities created by those operations. Our success has always been closely connected to the success of our host communities,” Bashorun said.
He also disclosed that Energia has invested over N15.94 billion in community development initiatives since inception, supporting roads, drainage systems, healthcare facilities, educational programmes, scholarships, youth empowerment, solar-powered street lighting, community welfare initiatives and other social investments across its operational communities. He added that the Company dedicates 3% of its gross revenue annually to support sustainable development initiatives for its host communities.
Also speaking at the event, the Asset Manager of Oando, Seyi Fawora, reaffirmed the Joint Venture’s commitment to implementing the HCDT, noting that the partnership remains focused on building stronger, mutually beneficial relationships with host communities.
The representative of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Dennis Eyitemi, described the inauguration as a significant milestone in strengthening host community participation in development. He urged members of the Board of Trustees to remain accountable, transparent and committed to promoting the long-term welfare of the communities they represent.
Providing an overview of the HCDT framework, the Delta State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Irebe, SAN, commended Energia for contributing beyond the statutory requirement prescribed under the Petroleum Industry Act and encouraged members of the Board to place community interests above personal interests while ensuring prudent management of the Trust’s resources.
The ceremony concluded with the swearing-in of the members of the Ndokwa West-1 Host Community Development Trust Board of Trustees. In his acceptance remarks, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Godwin Edeme, pledged the Board’s commitment to working with Energia Limited, Oando Petroleum Development Company and all stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the Trust for the benefit of present and future generations.
The establishment of the Ndokwa West-1 Host Community Development Trust represents another milestone in Energia’s long-standing commitment to responsible operations, stakeholder engagement and creating shared value for its host communities through sustainable, transparent and inclusive development. About Energia Limited
Energia Limited is a leading indigenous Nigerian exploration and production company with a proven track record of responsible hydrocarbon development and sustainable value creation. Since achieving First Oil in 2009, Energia has remained committed to operational excellence, environmental stewardship, and meaningful partnerships with its host communities, delivering lasting social and economic impact alongside its business growth.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) flow into Nigeria climbed to roughly $4 billion last year, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2026.
The report stated that “Inflows to Nigeria rose to about $4 billion, supported mainly by oil and gas–related IPF deals, including a major project valued at about $2 billion.”
The report indicated that Nigeria’s inflows were $1.6 billion in 2024, before increasing to roughly $4 billion (precisely $4.005 billion) in 2025 — reversing a downward trend that had seen inflows dip as low as $895 million in 2022. The figures place Nigeria among a cluster of West and East African economies that bucked a broader continental slowdown
According to the report, Nigeria’s outward investment also rose, from $408 million in 2024 to $1.19 billion in 2025, while its inward FDI stock reached nearly $93 billion by year-end.
“In Nigeria, deals included the sale of Shell’s onshore oil assets to the Nigerian consortium Renaissance Africa Energy and the acquisition of Lafarge Africa by Huaxin Cement of China, signaling both a wave of asset localization in the oil sector and continued Asian appetite for Nigerian industrial assets.
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On the Greenfield side, conglomerate Dangote Group emerged as an outward investor in its own right, backing a $3 billion chemicals project in neighboring Ethiopia — one of the 10 largest Greenfield projects announced across the continent in 2025.
Policy shifts also featured prominently in the report’s account of the investment climate. It noted that the government introduced sweeping fiscal reforms during the year, including a new minimum tax regime aligned with international standards.
“Nigeria, for instance, introduced a minimum effective tax rate of 15 per cent for multinational enterprises with revenues exceeding €750 million,” the report noted.
Alongside this, the report observed that Nigeria, together with Cameroon, moved to tighten incentive structures more broadly, as the two countries “replaced broad tax exemptions with tiered tax credits and strict eligibility requirements, such as job creation, local value addition and priority sectors.” Separately, the government rolled out targeted relief for the petroleum sector, introducing “performance-based tax credits for companies in the upstream petroleum industry, linking fiscal benefits to cost efficiency.”
The report also credited Nigeria with using regulatory innovation to court investors beyond the extractive sector.
It pointed to the Federal Government ‘s technology-focused reforms, noting that Nigeria “has used regulatory frameworks to reduce uncertainty for innovative firms,” citing the Startup Act and accompanying central bank rules that let sandboxes allow start-ups to test products with real users before facing the full weight of regulation.
On trade infrastructure, the report named Nigeria as one of five countries — alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana and Togo — that committed under a regional agreement to harmonising customs and border procedures along the Abidjan–Lagos corridor, part of a wider West African push to cut transit times and integrate cross-border trade.
Africa as a whole, according to the report, saw FDI inflows fall sharply from an exceptional 2024, but the report noted that in West Africa, investment “rose in several West African economies, supported mainly by investment in natural resources and energy.”
Courtesy – The Punch
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