As the saying goes, shopping malls are like battlefields. There is a saying on the battlefield, called "fight the tiger brothers, fight the father and son soldiers", the blood relatives help each other, work together, and their profits are broken. But in the mall, brothers can often each other in the same room. Today, let's talk about a pair of famous brothers in the history of business.
In Bavaria, Germany, there is a small town called, in the middle of the town, there is a small river through it, just like the Chu River and the Han Boundary on the chessboard, dividing the town into two camps.
South of the Aurach River, is today the world's famous sports brand, Puma, its founder, called Rudolf Dashler. And north of the Aurach River, is another more famous world-renowned sports brand, Adidas. Its founder was named Adolf Dashler.
The brothers originally opened a shoe factory together, which was prosperous, but finally parted ways and set up their own doors. What happened in the middle of the process?
Written by: Mei Yang, Bachelor of Finance, University of International Business and Economics, Master of Laws, Peking University
Edit: Lydia Cool Three
Word count: 4483
1. National sports, Dassler brand sneakers are popular
The brothers' father worked in a shoe factory, and when he grew up, his brother Rudolph also followed his father as an apprentice, and the elder Adolf went to work in a bakery. After world war I, the brothers returned from the battlefield and began to look for work to earn money. Adolf didn't want to work in a bakery, he loved sports. So Adolf combined his father's old business to make shoes, pulled up his brother Rudolph to open a small workshop shoe factory, making sneakers.
In 1924, Dassler Brothers was officially founded. Older brother Rudolf, funny, talkative, good at communication, born suitable for public relations, marketing. The factory did not have electricity, the bank did not agree to the loan, and the brother came forward to solve it one by one. What about his younger brother Adolf? Calm, introverted, has a unique view on the design and craftsmanship of sneakers, the most like to do, is to be bored in the craftsman shop, drawing ah, polishing leather surface, design style ah. The two brothers complement each other's strengths and combine their swords.
In Europe after World War I, European and American countries set off a wave of national sports. In the tense political atmosphere at that time, sports without borders became an important way for people to relax their nerves and vent their emotions.
The Dassler brothers seized the opportune moment and began to promote their sneakers on a large scale. One of the characteristics of their sneakers is that they have arched support, which is more in line with human mechanics. Dassler designed a lace-up structure for the sneakers that can effectively support the arch of the foot. People can run faster when they wear shoes like this. They first patented their sneakers, and then sent samples and brochures of the company's products to many sports associations.
After Hitler came to power in 1933, Dassler ushered in a golden period of development. We know that Hitler was a "war machine" who did everything for the sake of war. He believes that it is very important to train a brave and good army to enhance the physique of the people, so he vigorously promotes sports.
Suddenly, the enthusiasm for sports for the whole people in Germany was high, and the market demand for sneakers increased greatly. The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory has also followed this momentum and developed in full swing. But it was the 1936 Berlin Olympics that made Dashler a household name, or even famous abroad.
Black athletes from the United States, like a black lightning bolt, won four gold medals in one fell swoop. And what he wears under his feet is what Dassler Company specially made for him, which is known as "the lightest running shoe in the world". Overnight, Dashler became a world-renowned brand, with annual sales of 200,000 pairs.
2. Involved in World War II, there are many misunderstandings between the brothers
Three years after the end of the Berlin Olympics, in the early morning of September 1, 1939, World War II broke out!
The outbreak of World War II caused Dassler's performance to plummet. The Dassler brothers, as German citizens, were once again sent to the front lines for military service.
It didn't take long for Adolf to apply for exemption from military service on the grounds that he was going to run the factory. The shoe factory is the brothers' own. You want to manage, don't I want to manage? Since then, there has been a gap between the two people.
In this way, Adolf returned to his hometown to continue his work, while Rudolf continued to fight for his life on the battlefield. After a few years, Rudolf's army was defeated against the Red Army. His feet were severely frostbitten, but he still fled home from the battlefield and returned to the shoe factory he had in mind. On the surface, the two brothers still lead the company together, but in fact, the intimate and seamless cooperation that was before can never go back.
Once, a city near the town was hit by a bomb, and Rudolph's family quickly hid in the air raid shelter of Adolf's house. At this time, only Adolf was heard whispering, "Those nasty sluts are coming again!" Rudolph immediately became angry: Didn't you just hide from your bomb shelter? How can you still scold people? He rolled up his sleeves and was about to fight with his brother.
But in fact, he probably misunderstood. Adolf explained that when he said "nasty slut," he was not referring to his brother's family, but to the enemies who had come to bomb. But Rudolf already had a mustard in his heart, and of course he would not easily believe his brother's explanation.
However, this is only a rumored story. There is also a widely spread saying that the brothers quarreled because Rudolf and his sister-in-law, Adolf's wife, committed adultery, and even Adolf's son was born to Rudolf.
Anyway, either way, the relationship between the two brothers became more and more distant. Coupled with the fact that their wives did not look at each other well, they blew pillow wind to the brothers every day. Finally, at the end of 1948, the two brothers made a decision: the shoe factory was separated. Not only did they separate their families, but they also had to break off their brotherly relationships.
3. The shoe factory was separated, and two major sports brands were born
Rudolph and Adolf announced to all the company employees that they would break up and go their separate ways, so that everyone could seize the time to stand in line and decide who to follow in the future.
In the end, Adolf got two-thirds of his employees and founded what would become Adidas on the original factory. Most of these employees were shoemakers who admired Adolf's design and technology. Rudolf, with the rest, ran across the Orach River and founded what would become Puma. Most of these people are salespeople who have been following Rudolph in marketing before.
This process of dismantling, coupled with the brothers' own personalities and strengths, doomed Adi and Puma to a completely different corporate style.
In the first few years after the breakup, Puma, founded by Rudolph, quickly occupied the market. After all, he has a well-trained marketing team under him, and he has been running business outside for so many years and accumulating a lot of contacts. In contrast, Adidas's sales are not very optimistic. Because Adolf has been a technical house for many years, he only knows how to study the design and process of sneakers, and he knows nothing about marketing, let alone building a marketing team from 0 to 1.
However, strong marketing has the benefits of strong marketing, and technical houses also have the benefits of technical houses, that is, product quality is more passable. Although Puma's sneakers are selling well, the quality seems to be a bit unsatisfactory. Many people buy Puma, feel bad at it, and ask for a return. But when I returned it, I couldn't tell which one I bought and which Dassler was on which side of the river. Every three or five minutes, someone with Puma's shoes ran to the door of Adidas to make trouble.
Adolf watched as someone was about to return Puma's cargo, and he had to figure out a way to get them not to run wrong again. The simplest way, of course, is to have a clear distinction between the style of shoes and the home. In the beginning, the brothers used the previous Dassler shoe style, and the pattern was two bars.
So Adolf added another one to it: Adidas' classic "three bars" were born! Rudolph subtracted a bar, and Puma's "one bar" was also born!
Since the LOGO was sorted, Adolf did not have to worry about someone holding Puma's shoes to find himself returning. But his heart is still very worried: what about Puma's high return rate? People's sales are also high! When will its own Adidas become a hit? Is it true that no matter how good the quality of sneakers is, as long as they are not marketed, they still cannot be sold?
But soon, Adidas' opportunity came.
4. Star effect, the ball game is the big field of sneakers
In 1954, in the final of the World Cup in Switzerland, West Germany played Hungary. Hungary at that time was simply a lone loser on the football field, and did not pay attention to the German team at all. And also did not pay attention to the German team, there was Rudolph.
Rudolf felt that hungary's victory was a no-brainer. So, when the coach of the German team approached him and wanted the players to wear Puma's shoes, he refused.
The Coach of the German team turned to Puma's opponent Adidas. Adolf felt that this was a perfect opportunity for corporate publicity, and he raised the spirit of twelve points to do it well. He tailored a football shoe for the German team. The biggest feature of this shoe is that it has rotatable studs and the grip performance is particularly good. Especially when it comes to rainy days, it will not be as easy to slip as the average football boot.
And guess what? On the day of the final, by the second half, it was really raining! The Hungarian team ran cautiously, afraid that they would slip and fall if they were not careful. Look at the German team, wearing Adidas's custom boots, kicking football on a rainy day that is called a "dry foot", and finally miraculously defeated the Hungarian team and won the championship!
The German team was able to win the championship not only because of the shoes. If you are interested, you can search for such a "Miracle of Bern", which is about this incredible final. In this match, Germany won the first World Cup title and became the first unseeded team in World Cup history to win the championship.
And Adidas, who made a great contribution to the German team's victory, is also completely on fire. At home, it is considered to have saved Germany's national pride, and abroad it has also become a representative of Germany's export manufacturing industry. Suddenly, orders kept coming, and all of a sudden, Puma achieved a counterattack.
Rudolf did not expect that he rejected the Coach of the German team and gave Adolf a good chance. But so what? He wouldn't be knocked down so easily. You play the star effect, I will only play more than you slip. So Rudolph scoured the football pitch for talented players and collaborated. Soon, he won the jackpot – the king of the world, Pele!
Pele, who wore PUMA sneakers on his feet in the 1970 World Cup final
In 1958, in the final of the World Cup in Sweden, the 17-year-old Pele came out and led Brazil to victory. It was also Brazil's first World Cup title. Bailey's feet are puma's sneakers. After that, pele's every appearance, he would step on puma. With Bailey's endorsement, Puma's international popularity soared, alongside Adidas.
On the football pitch, Adi and Puma face each other. Outside the arena, there are founders who personally go down, and the two companies are also fighting.
Adolf said Adidas' sneakers were "the best sneakers in the world." When Rudolph learned about it, he was very angry and felt that Adi was targeting him, so he called Adolf to warn him not to do things, and also took Adidas to court, saying that it was unfair competition. But what about Adolf? Instead of withdrawing it, he also found someone to paste the slogan across the street from Rudolph's office: Don't you hate this advertisement? Then I will let you see it as soon as you look up, and see that I am disgusted and will not kill you.
In this way, the brothers led their own companies to fight back and forth, even if they died, they would not live safely. Although they were buried in the same cemetery, one was at the eastern end and one at the western end. They also made their own wills for future generations to continue the battle to the end.
So, will their descendants do this?
5. After years of competition, the resentment of generations has finally dissipated
After the deaths of Rudolf and Adolf, Puma and Adidas had their own heirs.
Adidas was succeeded by Adolf's eldest son, Horst. Horst was more like his own Berberodolph, a marketing genius. He pioneered the establishment of a "pyramid" marketing promotion model, bundling Adidas' brand and athletes, bundling with sports teams, bundling with large competitions, and even bundling with related sports activities, which greatly improved the brand's awareness. Customizing shoes for free for athletes and sports teams started with him. At the same time, he did not give up Adolf's idea of focusing on products and constantly innovating. Like the two classic small white shoes of Adi, which are still popular, they were also launched when he was the head.
At the same time, Puma fell into infighting, and Rudolf's two sons fought for the right to inherit, tearing up and fighting for several years. In the end, the eldest son, Amin, regained his puma inheritance.
Puma's infighting is longer and more intense, coupled with the fact that the technology and reputation are not as good as Adidas, the gap between the two companies has been fiercely opened. One is the well-deserved first echelon of the world's sports brands, and the other, even if there is a star spokesperson like Maradona later, can not beat Adi after all.
However, if you can't fight, it doesn't mean you won't fight. Both Amin and Horst were the eldest sons of the family. Since childhood, they have watched two mothers quarrel. When he was older, he watched the two fathers fight each other. The hatred between the two sides is all heard, and they can fight for decades without the old man leaving a will.
It wasn't until 1987, when Horst died at the age of 51, that the perverted struggle was over. Adidas' performance continued to decline, from the world's first to the fourth in a year, and Puma? It's further back. As a result, the two families sold the company one after another!
Therefore, the Adi and Puma we see now are no longer the domain of the Dassler family. Without the personal grudges of the founders' families, the two companies returned to normal business competition.
In 2009, in the small town of Herzogen Aurach, the two companies held a friendly football match, symbolizing the end of the confrontation and the shaking of hands.
This is because time has passed a long time and the Dashler family has withdrawn. On the other hand, it is also because of the drastic changes in the sports brand pattern, Nike came to the top and sat on the leading throne of the industry, and the two of them are not interesting to fight anymore.
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