Maybe I’m spending too much time at Fleet Feet these days…
Yet, I’m stunned at the amount of runners who swear against Nike Running shoes at specialty running stores like Fleet Feet. Well, the WSJ proclaimed Nike’s new brand-building strategy Thursday, and we’ll see how the Nike Running ship turns with their new marketing and advertising strategy debuting this week under Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
If there is an athletic brand that should be on the forefront of runners worldwide, that brand should be Nike. I’m a huge fan of how they handle their Bowerman Series mainstays, and I loved the Nike Miler, which was debuted in ’04.
Yet, why hasn’t Nike been able to top brands such as Asics, New Balance, and even Adidas is specialty running stores?
From the takes that I gather from both consumers and retail sales reps, the constant gripe is due to performance. Yet, with the amount of money that Nike has dumped into research, development, and quality with their Bowerman Series shoes, I’m still finding those opinions hard to take from runners who are visiting specialty running stores.
What usually follows those comments are the “mainstream” Nike corporate labeling that runners feel the brand has and the counterargument that Nike only focuses upon fashion and servicing the runner who shops at FootLocker and FootAction…Good point.
Yet, I’m watching how the new marketing strategy centered upon the new CP+B ads hold court. Like Nike’s bouce-back into Skateboarding, watching Nike launch back into a segment that they specifically target through strategic initiatives and a new marketing play is a blast.
According to the WSJ, “Nike is doing the new campaign now because it believes the shoes have great sales potential over the holidays, when people tend to make New Year’s resolutions.” Good point when you consider how many people do hit the treadmills, gyms, and roads in January.
I’ll bet on the Bowerman Series and Nike Plus’s penetration, but Nike better back their messages with great quality…Runners are smart consumers. And as a side note, I’m still not a particular fan of the Nike Plus shoes that I’m going through over the past year…That softness just gets me. However, the ’04 Miler is still the wham-bango. I’m on the final pair that I picked up through a blow-out sale at the Nike Smithfield, NC outlet.
I’m for the Nike Running jump-off…Let’s check out the makeover.
Plus One,
BD