Click here for the PDF handout or try the online quiz, reading, listening, and activities on grammar, spelling and vocabulary for this lesson on Adidas. Click on the links below or see the activities below this article:
READ
Adidas is one of the world’s top sporting brands. It is based in Germany and includes other brands like Reebok in its group. The three parallel bars that form its logo is known worldwide. The company bought these “Three Stripes” from a Finnish sports company in the 1950s. Adidas has provided quality sporting goods for decades. They create a very strong brand loyalty among consumers. Many people wear Adidas clothes and shoes as a fashion statement. The company also manufactures other products such as bags, glasses and watches. Adidas is heavily into sponsoring sports stars and teams. It is involved in sponsorship deals with the top soccer, rugby and cricket teams all over the world. Its current marketing slogan perhaps sums up the company’s success - “Impossible is Nothing”.
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WORKSHEET ACTIVITIES
WARM-UPS
1. BRAINSTORM: Write all the words you can think of about Adidas on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).
2. ADIDAS MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Adidas. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.
3. RUMOURS:Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Adidas. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.
4. GOOD AND BAD:Brainstorm good and bad things about Adidas and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.
5. TRUE OR FALSE:Students find out several facts about Adidas. They write these down and add the same number of things about the company that are false. Students test each other on which of their points are true or false.
6. FACTS:In groups, students write down as many facts as they can about Adidas. The winner is the group with the most facts. Teacher may wish to have groups share their facts to make sure they are real.
LISTENING / READING GAP FILL
Adidas is one of the world’s ___________________. It is based in Germany and includes other brands like Reebok in its group. The three parallel ___________________ logo is known worldwide. The company bought these “Three Stripes” from a Finnish sports company in the 1950s. Adidas ___________________ sporting goods for decades. They create a very ___________________ among consumers. Many people wear Adidas clothes and shoes as ___________________. The company also manufactures other products such as bags, glasses and watches. Adidas ___________________ sponsoring sports stars and teams. It is involved in sponsorship deals with the top soccer, rugby and cricket teams all over the world. ___________________ slogan perhaps _____________________ success - “Impossible is Nothing”.
CORRECT THE SPELLING
Adidas is one of the world’s top sporting bdrnas. It is based in Germany and includes other brands like Reebok in its group. The three llaerlap bars that form its logo is known worldwide. The company bought these “Three Stripes” from a Finnish sports company in the 1950s. Adidas has provided aiqluty sporting goods for seacdde. They create a very strong brand lyoyalt among consumers. Many people wear Adidas clothes and shoes as a fashion ntemttsea. The company also manufactures other products such as bags, glasses and watches. Adidas is ivleyha into sponsoring sports stars and teams. It is involved in sponsorship asled with the top soccer, rugby and cricket teams all over the world. Its rrcteun marketing soalng perhaps sums up the company’s success - “Impossible is Nothing”.
UNJUMBLE THE WORDS
Adidas is sporting one the top brands of world’s. It is based in Germany and includes other brands like Reebok in its group. The that parallel form bars three its logo is known worldwide. The company bought these “Three Stripes” from a Finnish sports company in the 1950s. Adidas goods sporting quality provided has for decades. They create strong very a among loyalty brand consumers. people Many and clothes Adidas wear shoes as a fashion statement. The company also manufactures other products such as bags, glasses and watches. Adidas heavily is stars sports sponsoring into and teams. It in involved is with deals sponsorship the top soccer, rugby and cricket teams all over the world. Its current the up sums perhaps slogan marketing company’s success - “Impossible is Nothing”.
adidas is one of the world’s top sporting brands it is based in germany and includes other brands like reebok in its group the three parallel bars that form its logo is known worldwide the company bought these “three stripes” from a finnish sports company in the 1950s adidas has provided quality sporting goods for decades they create a very strong brand loyalty among consumers many people wear adidas clothes and shoes as a fashion statement the company also manufactures other products such as bags glasses and watches adidas is heavily into sponsoring sports stars and teams it is involved in sponsorship deals with the top soccer rugby and cricket teams all over the world its current marketing slogan perhaps sums up the company’s success - “impossible is nothing”
CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
Adidas .......... (be) one of the world’s top sporting brands. It is based in Germany and .......... (include) other brands like Reebok in its group. The three parallel bars that .......... (form) its logo is known worldwide. The company .......... (buy) these “Three Stripes” from a Finnish sports company in the 1950s. Adidas has .......... (provide) quality sporting goods for decades. They .......... (create) a very strong brand loyalty among consumers. Many people .......... (wear) Adidas clothes and shoes as a fashion statement. The company also manufactures other products such as bags, glasses and watches. Adidas .......... (be) heavily into sponsoring sports stars and teams. It is involved in sponsorship deals with the top soccer, rugby and cricket teams all over the world. Its current marketing slogan perhaps .......... (sum) up the company’s success - “Impossible is Nothing”.
Adidas is one of the world’s top sporting brands. It is ____________ in Germany and includes other brands like Reebok in its group. The three ____________ bars that form its logo is known worldwide. The company ____________ these “Three Stripes” from a Finnish sports company in the 1950s. Adidas has provided ____________ sporting goods for decades. They create a very strong brand ____________ among consumers. Many people wear Adidas clothes and shoes as a fashion ____________. The company also manufactures other ____________ such as bags, glasses and watches. Adidas is ____________ into sponsoring sports stars and teams. It is involved in sponsorship deals with the top ____________, rugby and cricket teams all over the world. Its current marketing slogan perhaps ____________ up the company’s success - “Impossible is Nothing”.
bought
products
heavily parallel loyalty soccer statement based sums quality
PROJECT XXXXX
Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Adidas. Complete this table with your project partner(s):
Main products
How to improve them
A brand new ‘killer’ product
How Adidas is better than the competition
How to beat the competition
Part 2. Change partners and look at their project. Suggest improvements. Ask for advice on your project:
Part 3. Make a presentation on your project. Give it to the class. Vote the best projects.
ADIDAS – ROLE PLAY 1
Role A – Adidas CEO
You believe your company is the best in the world. It pays its workers very well and working conditions are great. Your company is very green – it cares about the environment. You think your levels of customer service are great. Disagree with person B, C and D.
Role B – Adidas worker
You think it’s a bad company to work for. You’re very unhappy with pay, raises and bonuses. You are very unhappy with the working environment. You don’t like the company’s policy on the environment. You keep hearing profits are more important than customers. Disagree with A and C. Tell D the truth.
Role C – Adidas customer
You are a customer of Adidas. You used to think it was great, but not now. Its workers are always very rude. No one ever answers the phone. You are shocked about its policy on the environment. You think all staff should get less pay. You disagree with person A and B. Tell D the truth.
Role D – A journalist
You keep hearing bad things about Adidas. You want to tell the world in your newspaper. You heard the CEO gets a huge bonus every year. You found a company memo saying profits are more important than the environment. You want to know why so many staff are ill. Find the truth.
ADIDAS – ROLE PLAY 2
Role A – Adidas New Products Director
You have created a new product for Adidas. You believe the new product will be the company’s best ever. It will be a bestseller. There are people who do not agree with you. You need B, C and D on your side. Tell them why this is a product that will bring great things to Adidas.
Role B – Adidas Marketing Director
You think the company’s new product is a really bad idea. It will give your company a really bad name. You think the New Products Director is trying to destroy the company. Try to get him/her to understand there’s no way the new product will sell. Try to get person C and D on your side.
Role C – Adidas Market Researcher
You have interviewed thousands of people about the new product. They don’t like it or hate it. You think it will be successful if they make many changes. Tell the New Products Director he/she needs to change the product. You neither like nor trust person B. Disagree will him/her.
Role D – Adidas Shareholder
You know a lot about Adidas’s new product. You are worried it will not sell and share prices will go down. You think A is crazy and must find a new job. You agree with everything B says. You don’t agree with C. The new product should not go on the market.
Write a letter of apology to the customer. Explain why you cannot give a refund. Show your partner your letter. Correct each other’s work.
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HOMEWORK
1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET INFO: Search the Internet and find more information about Adidas. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about Adidas. What have they done recently? What are their plans? Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
4. ADIDAS POSTERMake a poster about Adidas. Make sure you sell the company to the public. Show it to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your posters.
5. MY ADIDAS LESSON:Make your own English lesson on Adidas. Make sure there is a good mix of things to do. Find some good online activities. Teach the class / another group when you have finished.
6. ONLINE SHARING:Use your blog, wiki, Facebook page, MySpace page, Twitter stream, Del-icio-us / StumbleUpon account, or any other social media tool to get opinions on Adidas. Share your findings with the class.
ANSWERS
Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.
