Nike, after "years of playing mainly to young men and
teen boys with action shots of sports heroes," is "learning
a painful lesson," and is "struggling mightily to appeal to
a much broader audience -- especially women," according to
Louise Lee of BUSINESS WEEK. While the "embarrassingly off-
putting" ad featuring Suzy Hamilton being chased by a
masked, chainsaw-wielding man and "megabuck endorsement
deals with celebrity athletes are lingering vestiges of that
old Nike image," the company is "being forced to experiment
with a softer, more nuanced pitch." Nike has been "quietly
shifting" to show "big-name" female athletes in "'real'
poses to which everyday people can relate," including a new
print ad for Air Max Plus featuring Brandi Chastain
"standing in a modest Nike tee-shirt and long pants with the
word 'ladylike' plastered across the page." Another apparel
ad has Marion Jones in "subdued poses." But while Nike
"seems confused about whether to transfer its softer
approach over to the men's side, too," Lee wonders if the
company can "pull off this emotional balancing act. A
muddled image will only make its precarious comeback even
tougher." Atlanta-based marketing consultant Al Ries: "When
you try to expand, there's a danger of undermining and
diluting the power of the brand" (BUSINESS WEEK, 10/30).
WAS LAUNCH OF SHOX WELL-TIMED? FAST COMPANY's Ron
Lieber writes that the launch of the NikeShox "couldn't be
coming at a better time" for the company, as the product
"has the potential to be a relatively quick fix" to its
bottom line. But Lieber wonders, "How will the shoe fare
without the services" of Michael Jordan, as "most people
believe the old industry yarn" that 80% of all athletic
shoes are "not used for the sport for which they were
designed," and the people who make up the 80% are "more
likely to respond to heroes than they are to technology."
Lieber: "While nobody at Nike wants to admit that the
company designs its shoes for people walking around the zoo,
if those casual users don't buy them in droves, the shoes
will likely be a flop" (FAST COMPANY, 11/2000 issue).
