Record for DFB: Pink national team jersey is a bestseller

The pink and purple national jersey of the German footballers is proving to be a real hit with the fans. The shirt had the best sales start ever for a German away jersey, as spokesman Oliver Brüggen from manufacturer Adidas announced in response to a SID request. The home jersey is also “very popular”. Adidas does not comment on exact sales and revenue figures.

The advertising campaign for the new shirts was also a great success. The reactions to the spots and the reach of the films “exceeded our expectations,” said Brüggen. The sales figures, the emotional ratings from fans and the reach “speak for themselves,” he added, saying: “We are happy and looking euphorically towards UEFA EURO 2024.”

After the presentation of the bright pink EM away jerseys, the culture war over the sovereignty of interpretation is raging, especially on the Internet. Daring symbol of social diversity? Or cheap pandering to the woke zeitgeist? Either way, Adidas has struck a chord with a nation divided in its views. The manufacturer managed a PR coup. The advertising campaign anticipated the criticism and immediately refuted it with humor.

“Is that a women’s jersey?” is asked in a clip. National player Jule Brand answers provocatively: “I don’t know. Doesn’t look like eight European Championship titles to me yet.” The men only have three.

As a long-time national team director, Oliver Bierhoff has experienced many jersey presentations. In general, the design is more up to the supplier, he said on Welt-TV: “There is also the commercial idea behind selling the jerseys. And now they’ve gone to the very young generation.” The concentration on the TikTok generation with influencers, YouTube and hours of Twitch streams also brings problems: “It’s harder for me to imagine that a 60-year-old would love to wear this .”

After the PR disaster for the German Football Association, Adidas is consciously taking a risk with the one-love armband at the World Cup in Qatar. The company said it was “humorously playing with German clichés and stereotypes” – for example, on Tuesday a “typically German” living room from the 1950s was set up in the press area on the Frankfurt campus. Next door was a kebab shop: tradition and modernity.