Executive Summary

This project was assigned to me for my Retail and Channel Strategy course at Marquette. For this project, I analyzed the marketing and distribution channels of two iconic products: the Beats Studio Pro headphones by Beats Electronics and the Adidas Samba sneakers by Adidas. I examined each brand’s background, their strategic use of downstream partners such as wholesalers and retailers, and the facilitating agencies that support their operations. It highlights the service outputs these channel partners provide, including product availability, customer service, and market expansion as well as the types of power each manufacturer exercises in their channel relationships, such as legitimate, expert, and referent power. Furthermore, I identified and explained real-world conflicts between each manufacturer and their partners, offering insight into the complexities of managing brand identity, intellectual property, and partner agreements. Through the lens of these two globally recognized brands, I presented a comparative look at how companies manage and leverage their channel strategies for success in competitive markets.