International Marketing Study Program 2006
Nike - New York
26th January 2006
Our welcome to the Nike NY head office was fantastic. Brent Scrimshaw presented on NIKE, the organisation, with business split across footwear, apparel and equipment and the division of the business in the continental USA market. Each market has been established via central sporting activities such as football and basket ball, etc.
Brent discussed NIKE’s mission to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. A very motivating catch phrase was ‘if you have a body you are an athlete’ emphasising the universality of sport that is Nike’s perspective and that we all need to engage some form of sport in some way. He then went on to explain the driving principles of the organisation, and the significance of the culture of sport and used an inspiring video to illustrate where Nike had come from and where it is going.
NIKE’s focus is on research, design and development, with an appreciation that there are 2 sides to the brand: performance and culture (with a strong emphasis on youth) was particularly interesting as it reinforced the importance to Nike of innovation and leadership in this competitive industry and the different cultural values that exist around each sport.
The Nike mindset of ‘premium innovation’ and the need to deliver a compelling story along with rewarding experiences as part of their communication strategy was keenly noted as it provided additional insight into the meticulous way Nike goes about its research and how it links back to the consumer.
We were also fortunate to have NIKE’s Marketing and Strategic Directors (Lori and Whitney) presenting to us and contributing to our learning experience. Great presentations!
Integration was a key focus of these insightful presentations with discussion of the ‘integrated marketing wheels’ at NIKE and the importance of understanding the guiding principles that help to make NIKE the successful brand that it is today. Various segments were presented and discussion followed emphasising the need to go deep with understanding consumers, communities, retailers and people in general.
A case study on the launch of the Max 360 was presented (no foam... just air!). The product had just been released and we were later to see the in store displays and the communications supporting this innovation. We also got to experience Nike vision first hand when we visited NIKETOWN on 57th and 5th the flagship Niketown store. We heard about the Niketown and it’s running club from the store Manager and how various groups were engaged prior to the launch of this shoe and the philosophy behind the Niketown stores and their evolution to the present day.
It was also fascinating to learn of ‘Ekins’ – employed to further inform and inspire the individual consumer – beyond retail training.
The only thing left to say is ...... “NIKE inspires me”!
Brent, Lori and Whitney - thankyou for an awesome visit!!! We learnt so much.
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