The Nike swoosh, "never more ubiquitous, is in
turnaround," according to Timothy Egan in Sunday's N.Y.
TIMES MAGAZINE. Egan: "Having plastered the world with a
corporate icon rivaled perhaps only by Coca-Cola's cursive,
Nike is trying desperately to tone it down, hide it,
possibly even lose it. The week before an anxious
shareholders meeting, Nike still looks in the mirror and
sees a sleek rebel, but others see a bully with a beer gut."
Egan writes that the swoosh "has become emblematic of all of
Nike's troubles: a fashion statement losing its edge; a
sports pyramid that starts with cheap day labor and ends
with poor kids trying to pony up $140 for the shoes." Nike
VP/Design & Creative Dir Gordon Thompson: "The question
we've been asking ourselves a lot here, is whether we should
just go ahead and take the swoosh off. That's been a pretty
hefty debate." On new shoes, Thompson has "started to
shrink the icon down to just a wisp of a swoosh, barely
visible." Nike Chair Phil Knight: "You can make a lot of
mistakes around here, but the brand is sacred. I messed
that up." Footwear industry analyst Vince Francom: "The
problem with fashion is that tastes change very quickly.
There's a big backlash against Nike under way. The
skateboard generation doesn't want to wear Nikes because
their fathers wear them." Nike's response has been to try
new ways of "branding," the idea to simply "create a
connection between consumer and product." One new plan Nike
is considering is a new line of Michael Jordan casual shoes
"following up with everything from Jordan socks to suits."
Egan writes that if Nike "takes this step with Jordan, it
would mark a huge leap into relatively unfamiliar retail
territory" (Timothy Egan, N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, 9/13).
