Nike Debuts New Spot For Female-Driven Ad Campaign During MTV Movie Awards

Nike this week launched its #BetterForIt campaign "to boost its women's footwear and apparel sales," marking the "latest effort to boost sales in the so-called 'athleisure' category among women that also has been targeted by competitors Under Armour and Lululemon," according to Allen Brettman of the Portland OREGONIAN. The effort, which debuted with a 60-second ad Sunday during the MTV Movie Awards, is "expected to help Nike make good on its nearly 2-year-old prediction that the brand would grow" to $7B annually in women's footwear and apparel sales by June '16. The category totaled nearly $5B "for the 12 months through last June." The spot "features everyday people, not well-known athletes, as they participate in yoga, spinning, running and weight training." Nike VP/Global Brand Marketing & Women's Training Kerri Hoyt-Pack said the current #BetterForIt film series "runs globally until end of June, with an ongoing integrated campaign that will span" into '16. She added consumers "can expect to see a host of engagement points in the months to come." Hoyt-Pack: "What we see now is a global appetite for sport and fitness among the everyday female athlete that didn't exist in the same way two decades ago. It's a part of her unlike ever before. Women's only races are selling out within minutes and women are outpacing men both in gym membership and in running. Since we re-launched our Nike+ Training Club app in January, we are seeing the highest increased in usage coming from international markets like Russia, Brazil and South Korea, proof that this is truly a global phenomenon" (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/14).

ANYTHING YOU CAN DO...: CNBC’s Scott Wapner noted athletic apparel stocks are “amping up their advertising to target female consumers,” with Nike “saying it expects its women’s business to outpace its mens.” optionMONSTER.com co-Founder Pete Najarian noted Lululemon has “gotten themselves back in the position where they are competition” for other apparel makers but when you look at the valuations of Lululemon, Nike and Under Armour, “you always lean towards Nike.” Najarian added, “I still think that the best play of the three, however, is Under Armour because of the global growth story that they’ve got right now for the female play" (“Fast Money Halftime Report,” CNBC, 4/13).