Management Trainee Brand Activations

Overview of the Program
A degree does not mean that your learning journey has ended. Progression, improvement and curiosity keep us growing both as a company and as individuals. That‘s why we created the Future Leaders Program which provides the foundations for a challenging job in one of the fastest moving industries. What makes this program unique is that adidas has recognised the need to employ and grow ambitious, driven and passionate people of colour (POC) in the sporting retail industry. We have created this program to elevate and grow POC in their careers to support our country and company’s objectives to ensure we are more diverse. We have seen great success in our previous program and we look forward to changing more lives over the next couple years.
If you meet the criteria for this two-year program, you will max your creative and analytic potential and have fun while doing so.
- Join us in one of the following different core areas and keep the training going
- Brand Activation
- Sales & Customer Service
- Supply Chain & Logistics
- Retail Finance
- Export

You will be based at our HQ in Cape Town, South Africa, and you will embark on a New Manager certified course, in partnership with the Graduate School of Business, whilst working at the best sports company in the world. You will have a personal coach, a mentor, a line manager and HR to support you. You will also spend time in our stores and with our Leadership team completing various workshops and learning experiences to ensure you are embedded in our three stripes.
You will fulfil a fulltime role within the selected department based on your skills and experience, where you will make an impact on the business and your performance will be measured accordingly. You will also be assigned a group project which allows individuals to demonstrate their teamwork and innovative thinking skills.
With adidas, your career path has unlimited possibility. Our Future Leaders Program offer the chance to kickstart your career without borders. There is no guarantee of a permanent placement at the end of the program, however should you bring your best, we will try our best to ensure you stay within the adidas family within South Africa, or globally.
- Brand Activation Management Trainee Key Responsibilities
- Support the Senior Brand Manager Sport to deliver powerful EM South brand communication and activation plans to win in the training category, with a particularly focus on Women’s training (Bra’s + Tights).
The local approach will be closely guided by global strategy whilst actively tailoring for local nuances and priorities. Success in the role is to drive awareness, appeal, and adoption of adidas products in amongst the South African women’s training community. Responsibilities include;- Work closely with the Global team, EM Hub team and Senior Manager Sport to develop and drive an integrated brand strategy for Training category
- Plan and drive the execution of the local Training Brand Activation calendar. Ensuring this calendar is focused on key brand priorities and drives local market initiatives where relevant
- Enhance and manage EM South Training Communities, according to global/ EM direction, including budget allocation, contracts, relationships and activation executions
- Develop and execute brand communication strategies and plans for local training individuals, events and properties sponsored by adidas.
- Manage allocated Training MWB for EM South in alignment with line manager
- Conduct relevant adhoc Consumer research to deliver insights to motivate and inform decisions

Key Relationships
- Marketing team
- EM Hub Brand Activation team
- Channels EM South
- External Agencies
- Contracted partners

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Comprehensive knowledge of the brand communication marketing mix (media, events, sponsorship, retail, PR) with a major global brand or retailer (sporting goods/ lifestyle industry or FMCG preferred)
- Knowledge or passion for influencer and community management.
- Clear understanding and/or interest in local Training landscape, brand landscape and youth culture. Affinity with Women’s training in particularly advantageous
- Self-starter - ability to own and lead key project milestones to deliver campaigns.
- Experience managing external agencies and partners.
- Marketing budget management
- Advanced user of MS Office suite of products
- Experience in both market and above market organization preferred

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications
- University degree in Business or Marketing or 3+ years equivalent professional experience, ideally in Marketing with a focus on Brand Management
- Fluent in English

AT ADIDAS WE HAVE A WINNING CULTURE. BUT TO WIN, PHYSICAL POWER IS NOT ENOUGH. JUST LIKE ATHLETES OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MENTAL STRENGTH IN THEIR GAME. WE FOSTER THE ATHLETE’S MINDSET THROUGH A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE WANT TO ENABLE AND DEVELOP IN OUR PEOPLE AND THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF