adidas vs New Balance

Roblox Brand Design Should Be Woven into Architecture: HOURS CCO

Maryna Semioshyna, co-founder and chief creative officer of HOURS, a studio specializing in immersive Roblox brand experiences for clients like Lancôme, adidas, and Barbie, discusses her design philosophy ahead of her role as a juror at The Drum Awards Festival. She argues that brand identity must be integrated into the architecture of virtual worlds rather than applied superficially. Semioshyna emphasizes the importance of authenticity over trend-chasing, the need for design, product, and marketing teams to collaborate from the start, and the growing significance of interactive, gameplay-driven design for reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha. She also comments on AI's role in accelerating production while acknowledging its limitations in understanding empathy and emotional nuance, and predicts that future creative leaders will treat AI as a collaborator.

• Maryna Semioshyna is co-founder and chief creative officer of HOURS, a studio creating Roblox brand experiences for Lancôme, adidas, and Barbie.
• She is a juror for the design category at The Drum Awards Festival 2026.
• Semioshyna advocates for brand identity to be woven into virtual world architecture rather than applied as an overlay.

Runtastic Founders Launch AI Camera Fitness Coach App Zone5

Austrian startup Foxyfitness GmbH, led by Florian Gschwandtner and former Runtastic co-founders René Giretzlehner and Christian Kaar, launched Zone5, a new fitness app that uses smartphone cameras and AI to recognize exercises, count repetitions, and guide users through Zone 2 and Zone 5 training. The app is now available on the App Store and Google Play for an annual subscription of €49.99. Zone5 detects over 30 exercises, offers a 12-week adaptive training plan, and syncs with Apple Health. All processing is done on-device to protect privacy, and users can share time-lapse videos on social media. This launch follows Foxyfitness's earlier apps like '100 Push-Ups' and 'Worldkick'.

• Foxyfitness GmbH launched Zone5 app on September 10, 2026.
• Zone5 uses smartphone camera and AI to recognize over 30 exercises and count repetitions.
• The app offers Zone 2 and Zone 5 training intensities, with sessions lasting 5 to 30 minutes.

Investors Judging Adidas World Cup Spend Too Soon

Michael D’Esopo, CEO of Lippincott, argues that investors are prematurely condemning Adidas for a sharp rise in World Cup marketing spend. Adidas increased marketing investment by about £181m in the second quarter year-on-year (a 30% uplift) to capitalise on the FIFA World Cup; the move coincided with a record 19% one-day share fall despite Adidas raising its annual sales outlook and reporting roughly £1.3bn in World Cup-related sales (including 18m replica shirts, a 35% increase). D’Esopo warns that the full commercial returns from such large-scale, event-driven marketing are measurable only over the longer term and that judging campaigns solely on immediate quarterly profit risks discouraging long-term brand-building.

• Adidas increased marketing spend by approximately £181m in its second quarter versus the prior year, a ~30% year-on-year uplift.
• Adidas shares fell a record 19% amid market reaction to the higher World Cup marketing spend.
• Adidas reported about £1.3bn in World Cup-related sales, including 18 million replica shirts sold (a 35% spike).

New Balance Awarded Contract to Provide the U.S. Military with American-Made Athletic Footwear

New Balance has been awarded a contract to provide the U.S. military with American-made athletic footwear, announced on 18 Sep 2026.

New Balance sues Decathlon over Kiprun logo

New Balance has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Decathlon in the United States, alleging that the logo on the Kiprun running shoes too closely resembles its distinctive 'N' emblem. The case, filed in Massachusetts federal court, targets Decathlon America and argues that consumers may confuse the Kiprun symbol with the New Balance brand. New Balance claims the 'N' has been used since the 1970s and is seeking an injunction against the use of the disputed logo as well as financial damages. The amount of damages has not been specified. The lawsuit, case number 1:26-cv-14235, follows previous trademark disputes involving New Balance's 'N' logo, including cases against Michael Kors and Nautica, and a 2017 ruling in China awarding $1.5 million.

• New Balance filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Decathlon in the U.S. over the Kiprun shoe logo.
• The lawsuit is filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts under case number 1:26-cv-14235.
• New Balance alleges the Kiprun logo, a mirrored 'K', is too similar to its 'N' symbol used since the 1970s.

New Balance Welcomes Ayo Edebiri to its Family of Ambassadors

New Balance announced that Ayo Edebiri has joined its family of ambassadors. The announcement was made on September 9, 2026.