Source: adidas NEWS STREAM : adidas Launches AM4 Project in Landmark Moment for SPEEDFACTORY Facility
The battle for speed to customer is finally about to get started. Nike’s Express Lane and adidas’ Speedfactory concepts were introduced last year. Neither has really come into play in a major way. Elements of both have popped up here and there, but there hasn’t been a significant announcement about either option for the brand until today. adidas is officially dropping a date for the release of a Speedfactory product: October 26th.
Talk about stealing the thunder from a brand. October 27th is the day the Curry 4 officially drops. While this is probably coincidence, I choose to think sneaker brands are very calculated in their decisions.
A bit of clarity is needed when bringing up this AM4LDN date. AM4 is a play on the title given to Speedfactory launches by adidas. It means “adidas Made For and the LDN is for London. adidas will be introducing footwear designed for 6 specific cities during this process.
Why is the launch so important? Marketing and Consumer Engagement and Alignment. The footwear produced for each location (Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai) is going to be bespoke and co created by people in each location. By moving production to a more local level with direct input the customization process becomes more personal inviting a relationship WITH the brand as opposed to a buyer only relationship.
This is an obvious answer to Nike’s recent introduction of personalization in store and elevates the consumer direct offense for both companies. Which is definitely a reason to keep an eye on this project.