Nike’s strategic pivot back to sport and brand marketing is beginning to show positive signs as its running division returns to growth, but there’s still a long road ahead for the brand.
Nike has triumphantly returned to its roots, focusing on sport while overinvesting in brand, but undoing the damage from the last regime won’t be a quick job.
Nike’s new CEO has committed to “increased investment in our brand” as it shifts its strategy against a backdrop of falling revenue.
After a tumultuous year, Nike looks to recover by dialing up its brand led marketing to address its major challenges in product and performance.
Outgoing CEO John Donahoe set Nike on the wrong trajectory, thanks to bad assumptions about product and distribution, and an insufficient focus on brand.
Aiming to accelerate the pace of “newness and innovation”, Nike says it is repositioning to become more competitive.
Bringing “newness” to the category through innovation and creating a distinctive brand facilitates pricing power with consumers, Nike CFO Matt Friend said.
Nicole Hubbard Graham returns to the business as CMO after departing in 2021.
The sportswear retailer is feeling buoyant after a strong first quarter, and vows to stay on the offensive into the rest of the year.
The sports giant is eyeing long-term growth with its “membership offensive” alongside a move away from promotions and a move back to wholesale.
Nike’s ad landed in top 20% of all UK ads for its ability to actively involve viewers, scoring similarly on its contribution towards building brand affinity.
In the latest episode of Marketing Week’s podcast series, former Nike CMO Greg Hoffman discusses the origins of 2018’s ‘Dream Crazy’, the secrets of brand identity excellence and why restrictions can be joyful.
Nike pointed to direct sales increasing 28% to $4.7bn (£3.4bn) and a rise in online sales, as proof of its digital strategy is working, as it aims to be a 40% digital business by 2025.
This should have been a big weekend on social for Cazoo, with two of the teams it sponsors playing each other in the Premier League. However, its CEO says brands have a “responsibility to the wider community” to do the right thing.
The streetwear tradition of limited-edition ‘drops’, coupled with the increased importance of the secondary market, is bringing added hype to the high street.