Canzano: Adidas President says Miami-Indiana is a 'Utopia' title game
John Miller goes 1-on-1 on leadership, NIL, and more.
Who ya got?
Indiana or Miami?
How about both schools?
Adidas partners with both college football programs, which means the sneaker company can’t lose in Monday’s College Football Playoff championship game. It marks the first time in history that two Adidas-sponsored college programs are meeting with a national title at stake.
“This is Utopia,” Adidas North America President John Miller told me. “We’re excited to descend on Miami. We’re going to have a huge brand moment down there.”
I sat down with Miller for a wide-ranging conversation on Wednesday. We talked about business strategy, Miller’s blue-collar upbringing, his leadership style, and why Adidas sees value in partnering with major college football programs.
“I’m sure you saw the numbers from the NFL games this weekend,” Miller told me. “I mean, every one of those games was bumping 30 million in viewership. So it’s a moment for us to use it as a springboard for other areas of the business to connect our brand with consumers.”
Watch the full interview on YouTube:
Some snippets from the conversation…
Miller on Monday’s CFP title game:
“It’s a four-hour Adidas commercial… You’ve got Miami playing in their home stadium. They’re playing against Indiana, and their quarterback is from Miami. You couldn’t ask for a better script. From a brand perspective, we couldn’t have either… My boss, the global CEO, Bjørn Gulden, is coming in from Germany to go to the game. I’m not sure how many college football games he’s been on the sidelines for. It’ll be a first for him, too.”
On career advice he’d give:
“You’ve got to seize the opportunity, John. I moved my family nine times, nine times over my career. People thought I was in the witness protection program. The joke was, ‘Hey, always put the Miller address in pencil.’ No, I mean, listen, I don’t take for granted where I’m at, but at the same I’ve plowed the field to get here.
“I’m so lucky. People always say, ‘Oh, you have the best job.’ I’m like, ‘This isn’t my job. This is my life.’ This is my life. This is what I do. I love sport. I love the business of sport. I think we’re really building something special here at the Adidas.”
On questions he asks job candidates:
“I think the thing I always like to ask is, ‘Tell me what you're most proud of accomplishing as a member of a team.’ Because in order to be successful, you have to be a multiplier. The ability to show me that you can multiply is really critical. It’s a make-or-breaker for me, John.”
On his leadership style:
“My management and leadership style is very much how I grew up, right? I’m here in the office at 6 a.m. every day rolling up my sleeves and getting stuff done. We just want to compete, right? We’re far away from being the biggest brand in the US, but But that doesn’t mean we can’t be bold. That doesn’t mean we don’t have significant growth objectives over the next couple of years. And I think this opportunity on Monday night is going to be a real springboard to show America where we are in the sport.”
On whether Adidas aims to partner with individual athletes or college teams:
“I think it’s a little bit of both, right? Obviously, we don’t have the NFL, right? So we have to pivot and find other spaces. And we’ve done that. We’re going to continue to lean heavily into NCAA. We’re excited to have (Penn State and Tennessee) joining our roster. But signing a Jeremiah Smith or a Travis Hunter or having a Patrick Mahomes on the roster. Again, Fernando Mendoza, right? Elijah Serrat? We feel like going into this coming draft, we could have anywhere from 10-15 picks in the first 35 or 38 picks in the NFL Draft this year.”
On Adidas and NIL:
“I think part of the lure to Penn State and Tennessee coming to the brand was how aggressive (Vice President of Sports Marketing) Chris McGuire and his team have been around NIL. Rewind all the way to August 2024 when we launched the (Patrick) Mahomes + Texas Tech + Adidas triangle of a partnership from an NIL perspective. Chris and the team have been doing this for a couple of years now, and they’ve really done a great job. I think universities recognize that, the work that he’s done and Jim Murphy and the entire team. We feel like we’re on the forefront of what what we do there.”
On partnering with Heisman winners:
“Last year, we had the Heisman Trophy winner in Travis Hunter. This year, we had the Heisman Trophy winner in Fernando Mendoza. I like our odds next year with (Ohio State’s) Jeremiah Smith, part of the brand.”
On whether Adidas has plans to air commercial during the TV broadcast of Monday’s game:
“Stay tuned.”
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Go, Adidas, Go! As someone who wore Adidas in high school track and cross country, at a time before Nike had really launched, I am very happy for this company. I used to love wearing those stripes and even had Adidas warmups. It is good someone is giving Nike some good competition. For too long, Nike took the American market for granted.
Interesting column. I do think Miller is a little delusional. He considers the title game a four hour Adidas commercial. I'll bet half of the viewers won't even notice the show logos.