What it takes to make a loyal Nike runner try Adidas

For the first time in my life, I bought a pair of Adidas running shoes.

For some of you, that may not seem like a big deal. For me, it was a test of loyalty.

I have been a Nike-exclusive runner for most of my running life. I have worn Nike Air Pegasus for years because I know how they fit. I know what they feel like on a long run. I know how they perform when I am racing. They have been consistent, reliable and familiar. And that matters more than we sometimes want to admit when we talk about brand loyalty.

As many of you know, I am a proud Penn State alum. Every year, I would look forward to buying the Penn State edition of the Nike Air Pegasus when the new fall version came out.

It was a running shoe I trusted from a brand I trusted, with the university I love on it. Then, Penn State changed its athletic apparel partnership to Adidas.

Again, this is not exactly a major life event. But as a consumer, it meant something to me.

The shoes I had traditionally bought, the ones that combined something I knew and loved with something that was part of my identity, were suddenly being made by a brand I had never considered for my running shoes.

So I bought them.

And that is where the brand lesson gets interesting.

I did not suddenly decide Adidas makes better running shoes. I did not spend months researching Adidas. I did not wake up one morning and decide I was done with Nike. I was simply presented with a new opportunity to connect something I already cared about with a brand I had never really considered. That’s brand loyalty.

For years, Nike had earned my trust through the product itself. The fit. The consistency. The experience. The familiarity, but Penn State created an opening for another brand to enter that relationship and Adidas took it.

I went for my first short run in my new Adidas shoes last weekend. Nothing too long. Nothing that would qualify as a true test. My new shoes felt good. I was happy with my decision.

The real test will come in January when I run my next half marathon. That’s when I will find out whether these shoes can earn the same level of trust that Nike earned over all those years.

For now, though, I am thinking about what this says about building brands people actually follow. Brand loyalty is about becoming connected to something that matters to them.

For me, Nike was connected to running. It was connected to consistency. It was connected to years of races and training. And, eventually, it was even connected to Penn State.

When that connection shifted, I was willing to try something new.

That is a pretty powerful lesson for those of us who work in communications and marketing. People don’t always change brands because they suddenly dislike the brand they have been using. Sometimes, they change because another brand finds a way to become part of something they already love.

Thank you, Nike, for being my trusted running shoe partner for many years. Adidas, you have a lot to prove.

I will see you at the starting line in January.