Has everyone seen this commercial yet? Saw it for the first time last night while watching the Olympics, but I’m probably behind the ball.
Does this spell Nike apparel in the IM merch tent in the near future?
My own take is no. In the same way that even when they were sponsoring Lance Armstrong, there never was a big push to really get into cycling apparel for the masses, this is simply about being identified with an athlete that someone (or someones) at Nike thinks is good for the brand.
Simon Whitfield was the last triathlete sponsored by Nike globally. All current triathletes in Nike are sponsored by their regional marketing departments. Simon relayed a conversation he had sometime post-Beijing with the Nike marketing team where the head guy said, laughing in response to Simon’s questions about Nike’s “plans for triathlon” that “Nike has no plan for triathlon; it’s not on the radar.” Bear in mind that this is second-hand info, so please don’t take this for any more than that. But everything about the way that Nike has continued to (not) be present in the sport of triathlon since seems to support this.
Sister Madonna is an outlier. Just like Lance was an outlier. Nike wants (or wanted) to be involved with these people not with “their sport.” Overall, I think this is a part of Nike’s significant shift in resources to grassroots type marketing, most prominently seen with the Nike+ and the sort of social media competition that has become the future of the fitness/running industry. Nike views “digital” as a huge part of their future - http://www.investors.com/news/nike-is-ramping-up-its-digital-strategy-what-does-that-mean/
And I think Sister Madonna - as a “regular” person (meaning not a pro athlete) - fits in with that larger message.
A friend of mine works at the headquarters in Beaverton. She said that they’re making a push into the tri market. Not sure if that’s going to mean more sponsorships - wasn’t Helle Frederiksen a Nike athlete? There’s also a commercial with the trans duathlete.
heheh…Beaver.
Yes, Helle was with Nike, she still wears their shoes even though she’s no longer with them. Simon was with Nike, I believe Cam Brown was too. There was a commercial last year with Paula Findlay in it, so I’d imagine she’s was/is sponsored by them too. Maybe they’re set up differently internationally.
I’ve talked with a few people at Nike and the impression I got was that because they don’t make triathlon specific products that it was a market they don’t plan to go into. That was several years ago though. I think they wanted to produce all things tri though, ie. wetsuit, apparel, shoes (bike/run), and possible more like. The big brands have trouble giving up categories to other brands.
Somehow, this 1 minute commercial only takes 52 sec’s to air.
When I saw the Madonna Buder commercial I immediately thought of this Nike commercial from 1988 featuring 80-year-old Walt Stack - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_xozTo6wrU
Stack was also a triathlete, finishing Kona in the early 1980s in more than 24 hours before there was the midnight cutoff.
A friend of mine works at the headquarters in Beaverton. She said that they’re making a push into the tri market. Not sure if that’s going to mean more sponsorships - wasn’t Helle Frederiksen a Nike athlete? There’s also a commercial with the trans duathlete.
Not likely. My son works also works at Nike Beaverton and despite some internal proposals to move into the market they haven’t done so. It’s always possible they may change their mind but many do not see it as a big enough market to meet sales growth goals. This article notes that they are currently focusing on e-commerce, women’s markets, and other geographies to meet future revenue targets: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-nike-50-billion-annual-184806582.html
I’ll pay attention to Nike when they start producing a tri specific running shoe and kit; until then it’s just hearsay.
Also, with all due respect to the Sister whose achievements I will never match, she hasn’t completed an Ironman in 4 years. They should have run that commercial during the London Olympics when it might have had more impact.
Maybe it cut the course ;P.
Nike has made a couple of runs at tri-specific stuff: the BRS clothing line in the late 80’s, the Kukini Shoe in the 00s, etc. Nothing has ever stuck.
BRS Gear
Kukini shoe
Maybe it cut the course ;P.
I see what you did there! HA !!!
Too small a market for Nike, IMO. And I don’t think many triathletes have the brand in high regard. Of course that could quickly change with good marketing
My own take is no. In the same way that even when they were sponsoring Lance Armstrong, there never was a big push to really get into cycling apparel for the masses, this is simply about being identified with an athlete that someone (or someones) at Nike thinks is good for the brand.
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Not that it matters, but this is not really accurate. Nike made a huge push into cycling when it signed Lance, developing kit and shoes. Actually made some decent stuff as well. After a few years of limited success, they turned the reins over to Trek, who basically acted as a licensee. There are some details of the deal that I don’t recall, but Nike was the exclusive distributor and also designed the stuff, IIRC.
A bit off topic, but Nike actually makes ice skates for hockey. I think they suck, but they have gotten quite popular lately. Most people outside of hockey players have no idea they make skates. Just saying, you never know.
Didn’t Mark Allen have huge contract with Nike back in the day?
My own take is no. In the same way that even when they were sponsoring Lance Armstrong, there never was a big push to really get into cycling apparel for the masses, this is simply about being identified with an athlete that someone (or someones) at Nike thinks is good for the brand.
Simon Whitfield was the last triathlete sponsored by Nike globally. All current triathletes in Nike are sponsored by their regional marketing departments. Simon relayed a conversation he had sometime post-Beijing with the Nike marketing team where the head guy said, laughing in response to Simon’s questions about Nike’s “plans for triathlon” that “Nike has no plan for triathlon; it’s not on the radar.” Bear in mind that this is second-hand info, so please don’t take this for any more than that. But everything about the way that Nike has continued to (not) be present in the sport of triathlon since seems to support this.
Sister Madonna is an outlier. Just like Lance was an outlier. Nike wants (or wanted) to be involved with these people not with “their sport.” Overall, I think this is a part of Nike’s significant shift in resources to grassroots type marketing, most prominently seen with the Nike+ and the sort of social media competition that has become the future of the fitness/running industry. Nike views “digital” as a huge part of their future - http://www.investors.com/...what-does-that-mean/
And I think Sister Madonna - as a “regular” person (meaning not a pro athlete) - fits in with that larger message.
Too small a market for Nike, IMO. And I don’t think many triathletes have the brand in high regard. Of course that could quickly change with good marketing
I like Nike apparel & I exclusively use their Phenom 2-in-1 shorts for running, but I would never use their equipment competitively. This includes shoes, eyewear, electronics, sports balls, golf equipment, etc, etc. To me, in every experience I have had, Nike is a marketing company first and an actual sports company somewhere around 5th in their priorities. Sure, they occasionally make some innovative stuff for track, football, etc, but most of it is for marketing fluff rather than actual performance enhancement. They buy a company that makes second rate gear in China, slap a swoosh on it, and raise the price 10X. Which is great from a capitalism perspective, but in reality it’s more for people who want to **look **like they’re athletic rather than those who actually want to be athletic.
If Nike somehow had a partnership with WTC and all the gear in the IM merchandise tent was Nike, it would be a lot better than most of the off-brand gear they sell today. But if they were to go all in on the sport, I would never go out & buy a Nike tri specific run shoe, Nike bike helmet, or Nike wetsuit.
Too small a market for Nike, IMO. And I don’t think many triathletes have the brand in high regard. Of course that could quickly change with good marketing
I like Nike apparel & I exclusively use their Phenom 2-in-1 shorts for running, but I would never use their equipment competitively. This includes shoes, eyewear, electronics, sports balls, golf equipment, etc, etc. To me, in every experience I have had, Nike is a marketing company first and an actual sports company somewhere around 5th in their priorities. Sure, they occasionally make some innovative stuff for track, football, etc, but most of it is for marketing fluff rather than actual performance enhancement. They buy a company that makes second rate gear in China, slap a swoosh on it, and raise the price 10X. Which is great from a capitalism perspective, but in reality it’s more for people who want to **look **like they’re athletic rather than those who actually want to be athletic.
If Nike somehow had a partnership with WTC and all the gear in the IM merchandise tent was Nike, it would be a lot better than most of the off-brand gear they sell today. But if they were to go all in on the sport, I would never go out & buy a Nike tri specific run shoe, Nike bike helmet, or Nike wetsuit.
My same opinion. I would never go for Nike tri. However, companies are taking the same approach than Nike in cost cutting and becoming pretty much marketing first, quality second… For example, not impressed at all with Zoot sports these days.
Too small a market for Nike, IMO. And I don’t think many triathletes have the brand in high regard. Of course that could quickly change with good marketing
I like Nike apparel & I exclusively use their Phenom 2-in-1 shorts for running, but I would never use their equipment competitively. This includes shoes, eyewear, electronics, sports balls, golf equipment, etc, etc. To me, in every experience I have had, Nike is a marketing company first and an actual sports company somewhere around 5th in their priorities. Sure, they occasionally make some innovative stuff for track, football, etc, but most of it is for marketing fluff rather than actual performance enhancement. They buy a company that makes second rate gear in China, slap a swoosh on it, and raise the price 10X. Which is great from a capitalism perspective, but in reality it’s more for people who want to **look **like they’re athletic rather than those who actually want to be athletic.
If Nike somehow had a partnership with WTC and all the gear in the IM merchandise tent was Nike, it would be a lot better than most of the off-brand gear they sell today. But if they were to go all in on the sport, I would never go out & buy a Nike tri specific run shoe, Nike bike helmet, or Nike wetsuit.
My same opinion. I would never go for Nike tri. However, companies are taking the same approach than Nike in cost cutting and becoming pretty much marketing first, quality second… For example, not impressed at all with Zoot sports these days.
I, too, think that Nike is geared more towards the look than towards performance. I’ve bought Nike apparel, but only running shorts. When I was younger and still in grade school, I bought Nike b/c it made me look athletic. Whenever I played sports, however, it wasn’t Nike gear I was using.
Too small a market for Nike, IMO. And I don’t think many triathletes have the brand in high regard. Of course that could quickly change with good marketing
I like Nike apparel & I exclusively use their Phenom 2-in-1 shorts for running, but I would never use their equipment competitively. This includes shoes, eyewear, electronics, sports balls, golf equipment, etc, etc. To me, in every experience I have had, Nike is a marketing company first and an actual sports company somewhere around 5th in their priorities. Sure, they occasionally make some innovative stuff for track, football, etc, but most of it is for marketing fluff rather than actual performance enhancement. They buy a company that makes second rate gear in China, slap a swoosh on it, and raise the price 10X. Which is great from a capitalism perspective, but in reality it’s more for people who want to **look **like they’re athletic rather than those who actually want to be athletic.
If Nike somehow had a partnership with WTC and all the gear in the IM merchandise tent was Nike, it would be a lot better than most of the off-brand gear they sell today. But if they were to go all in on the sport, I would never go out & buy a Nike tri specific run shoe, Nike bike helmet, or Nike wetsuit.
At least for running, this is not true at all in recent years. Nike running clothes and shoes are miles ahead of any other company in my opinion. They’ve made huge strides in the quality of their fabrics. Go to a Nike store and feel some of their race shorts and singlets. It’s pretty incredible. I once had your opinion about Nike too, but I decided to buy a pair of Lunar Tempo shoes and never looked back. Yes they have some incredibly trendy garbage, but their actual race apparel and shoes are top notch. My biggest gripe is that they are getting pretty expensive, but I tend to wait until there are sales at the end of the season and buy my running shoes then.
My same opinion. I would never go for Nike tri. However, companies are taking the same approach than Nike in cost cutting and becoming pretty much marketing first, quality second… For example, not impressed at all with Zoot sports these days.
Agreed, but Nike seems to have taken it to the extreme (marketing over substance). When you can find the swoosh on everything from footballs to swim goggles to cricket bats to golf clubs, and it was a company founded on running, you can say that they are more about the brand & the marketing than improving the actual sports they are in.
At least Zoot is an endurance sport brand & they are not trying to be a football or golf company. Of course, their acquisition by Newell Rubbermaid at the start of the year may shift that.
A bit off topic, but Nike actually makes ice skates for hockey. I think they suck, but they have gotten quite popular lately. Most people outside of hockey players have no idea they make skates. Just saying, you never know.
I haven’t seen Nike Skates in YEARS. They made a push in the late 90’s when they actually got Gretzky wearing them but after that they disappeared and Nike actually bought Bauer or at least a part of them as the Bauers Vaper XXXX skate was a Nike/Bauer skate but that has changed back to just Bauer again.
Agreed that the Tri market might be to small for a full run at Tri gear for Nike but could see them taking on the shoe side as a start.