Why the Adidas CEO and other leaders keep dunking on their own brands

Branded is a weekly column devoted to the intersection of marketing, business, design, and culture. When Elliott Hill begins his stint as the new chief executive of Nike next week, he might consider stealing a move from longtime rival Adidas—and talk some trash about his own company. Adidas was saddled with multiple problems (including the messy dissolution of its partnership with Yeezy and resulting inventory overload) when Puma veteran Bjørn Gulden took the reins in early...