Competition: Global Game

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Not quite, Simon. Nike has taken an early lead in reaching the all-important youth consumers who live and breathe the game in the digital world. In mid-February, with little mainstream fanfare, Nike partnered with Google to launch joga.com a global social-networking site for soccer fans that mimics MySpace.com the networking juggernaut that Rupert Murdoch recently purchased for $580 million. The most innovative aspect of Nike's broad Joga Bonito (Portuguese for Play Beautiful) World Cup marketing campaign, joga.com has about 800,000 members from Chile, Afghanistan, Malaysia, New Zealand--you name it. The company says it adds a new member every eight seconds.

For young fútbol freaks, joga.com is a powerful tool. Users can view and debate the Ronaldinho ad ("Ronaldinho is the best player but that 4 times on the crossbar no way," writes Raymond from the Hague, Netherlands, on one board), organize pickup games and rant against the most severe problem facing the sport: racism. Members can blog, upload their own soccer video or view thousands of other clips, from the latest Arsenal highlights to Nikola from Bulgaria juggling the ball--in slow motion, no less--in his bedroom. "Some Tricks I Make!" reads the title.

The Swoosh sits atop the page, reminding kids that Nike lets you wish happy birthday to your "Joga Friend" from Sweden. "That goes way beyond somebody saying, 'Oh, yeah, I saw a commercial,'" says Trevor Edwards, Nike's vice president for global brand marketing. "Gone are the days where you can put an ad out and hope people see it. Anyone who doesn't understand the change in the landscape does so at their own peril," he adds. Adidas will unveil a dedicated soccer network on MySpace.com by the end of May.

On the field, though, Adidas has scored with product innovation, and after all, it's the boots that boost the bottom line. In March the company launched the +F-50 Tunit, a soccer shoe that allows players to mix and match three different components--the main body, or upper; the insole; and the cleats, or studs--to adapt to different playing conditions. (Most serious players buy several pairs of soccer shoes for that purpose.) Want a red, lightweight boot for playing on a soft surface? Use a wrench to replace the short studs with long ones, slide in a lighter sock liner, and exchange the black upper for a red one. Adidas executives see the Tunit as the footwear iPod. "I want my music now, and this is how I want it, where I want it," explains Antonio Zea, head of U.S. product marketing for Adidas Soccer. "We've done the same thing here. Customization will make this product cool."