Manager Brand Communications, Team Sports

adidas adidas-group.com Open · verified Sep 18, 2026

Shanghai Manager Communications

Mid-level Communications role at adidas. Shanghai.

Role brief

Growth Roles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

Build China teamsports communication plans that follow business strategy and global guidance
Coordinate creative, social, PR and activation work to increase brand and product visibility
Work with product, sports, culture and retail marketing on assets, trade fairs and meetings
Manage agencies, media vendors, budgets and trademark use while negotiating purchases
Track launches, in-store rollout and campaign results with merchandising, sales and retail operations

What you bring

Bring three to five years in advertising or communications, with China experience across advertising, PR or Creative Services
Know teamsports, especially football and basketball, and want to engage with sports
Use fluent English and Mandarin in the role
Hold a university degree or higher, preferably in marketing or communications
Show presentation, organizational, negotiation and relationship skills with strong creative judgment

Who this fits

You’ll suit this role if you are a sports enthusiast who can turn category passion into brand building and collaborate closely with varied teams. Shanghai is the stated location, and fluent English and Mandarin are required. The role calls for high integrity, empathy, teamwork and comfort working across sports, brand, category and trade marketing.

From the employer

Brand Communication Planning & Execution

Drives the development and execution of marketing strategies and marketing plans aligned with China business strategies and in line with global guidelines. Strong in creative, social, PR, and activation
Creates integrated action plans for all Brand communications projects related to teamsports with the aim of maximizing brand and (new) product exposure while maximizing efficiency
Proactively works with Product Marketing, Sports Marketing, Culture marketing and Retail Marketing teams in supporting all their brand asset activities and all trade fairs and trade meetings with aim to position the brand as set out in our objectives
Remains up to date on the fast-developing Media Environment in general and New Media technologies and opportunities in particular
Identifies communication opportunities, as well as opportunities for Co-ops & Co-branding

Management

Assumes responsibility for the (legally) correct usage of the adidas trademarks and logos
Sources, establishes strong relationships and manages day-to-day activities with relevant agency partners and (media) vendors
Provides briefings to the Creative Services to convey the desired retail presence and image at retail

Financial

Follows, maximizes and controls the Brand Communication budget as set according to the Marketing Plan
Suggests future Brand Communication budgets
Negotiates and develops quotations with vendors by setting clear objectives and expectations
Evaluates and recommends pricing levels for all Brand Communication purchases

Systems and Processes

Executes and tracks the Brand Communications plan
Implements quality control systems for production of all materials containing adidas logo
Co-ordinate all launches of relevant material with Category Merchandising team and Sales department
Develops, maintains and co-ordinates processes with the Retail Operations Department and the Sales department that ensure timely (in-store) implementation around the country
Post evaluates campaign performance by conducting or coordinating research and tracking project development, and then collating results into regular quality reports
Benchmarks on the progress in the brand perception of the consumers
Is responsible for on-time and accurate provision of Commitment and Payment requests related to all Brand Communication projects
Fully optimizes integration with other Communications disciplines such as PR and Creative Services

Others

Other job-related work assigned by supervising manager

KPI

Overall business performance
Budget control
Successful and Creative Launch Events
Football/basketball/motorsport activation
Social, PR and Media exposure of brand and product
Grow market share
Strong brand equity

Key Relationships

On time launch of campaigns
Quality of recommended and executed initiatives to maximize brand and product exposure and are implemented at industry leading standards
Improvement in our Brand Health KPIS (Brand momentum, Net Promoter Score, Spontaneous purchase intent, etc.)
Integration of ideas with other disciplines
Improved professionalism of the team
Delivery on Initiatives identified by the Senior Management team
Sell through target for related category

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

A passion for and an understanding of the category along with the desire to translate the passion into building the adidas brand in the region
Strong team player
Very high level of integrity
Communication skills, relationship management and empathy
Negotiation skills
Excellent creative/design/ art direction sense
Fluent English and Mandarin required

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications

Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in the advertising or communication dept.
Previous experience in advertising, PR, and Creative Services in China
Knowledgeable about teamsports, esp. football and basketball. An interest and desire to participate in and learn about sports i.e. a sports enthusiast
Excellent presentation and organizational skills
Exposure – Sports, brand/category marketing, trade marketing
University Degree or above. Preferably in a marketing or communications related discipline