Why Nike Quietly Launched on Substack
The Swoosh soft launched its newsletter era in June. Here's why.
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I just realised last Thursday’s post was SportsVerse’s 50th newsletter since I launched in December. Whether you’ve been around from day one or you’re a recent subscriber, thank you for being here!
Two weeks ago, a new mysterious Substack account published its first ever article.
The inaugural piece was titled Coming Out As A Jock, a personal article written by Robert Cordero (Department of Edge), a good friend and long-time supporter of SportsVerse and my editorial endeavours dating back to our shared connection to The Business of Fashion.
At first glance, it’s not at all obvious that In The Margins — the mysterious new newsletter — is actually the work of Nike. But the Swoosh is indeed Substack’s latest brand entrant, and almost certainly the biggest fashion brand to explore the world of Substack publishing so far.
All there is to glean from the site is that In The Margins is “a bi-weekly publication dedicated to new sports writing.”
So far, it has delivered exactly what it promised. Other articles run in the newsletter so far are an essay by Sean Thor Conroe on his connection to tennis and its role in his relationship with his father, and a piece by Sarah Cristobal on the “Endurance of Motherhood”.
So Why Is Nike on Substack?
There has been significant leadership change and reshuffling at Nike in recent months as CEO Elliott Hill has increasingly laid out his vision for the company since he took the top job in January.
As previously discussed on SportsVerse, this has led to a renewed energy and bolder experimentation in Nike’s marketing function, which had been somewhat muted under the challenging tenure of Hill’s predecessor, John Donahoe. Since the start of this year, there have been Super Bowl ads, major activations around female athletes and big-budget campaigns designed to show off Nike at its best.
In The Margins is the latest indication that Nike is getting comfortable once again being a little more experimental about how and where it shows up in sports culture.
Nike has always been good at talking a big game, with the track record to back it up. But one of the mandates of Hill’s Nike tenure is for the brand to do more showing than telling about why it is still the best in the business.
That can be difficult in a hyper-competitive industry in which every brand is trying to beat the competition with savvy marketing, both digital and IRL. It’s harder still when Nike — a company that is so used to playing offense — is on the back foot. But with its Substack, Nike is set on going quieter with how it shows up.
There is not a single mention of Nike anywhere to be found on the In The Margins Substack. There is only the one Swoosh logo at the bottom of a flyer on the “About” page. Contributors have not been instructed what topics to cover, nor have they been asked (or directed to) mention or link Nike products or activations in the newsletters published so far.
It makes sense why Nike has entered Substack in stealth mode. No one wants to see Substack turn into yet another platform on which consumers are relentlessly sold products and services by corporate organisations of all kinds. But Nike joins other major US retail names slowly gravitating to Substack, including American Eagle and The Real Real, all of which are figuring out the appropriate way to show up on the platform.
The fact is, Substack is already too valuable an ecosystem for brands to play no part in whatsoever. It’s where the real conversations are happening. Some brands, like American Eagle and The Real Real, are handing the reigns to high-profile Substackers such as Casey Lewis or Jalil Johnson to piggyback off their pre-existing authority and standing in the newsletter world, infusing their contributions with links to products they are looking to push.
Nike is opting not necessarily to partner with other prominent Substackers to help sell any products, but rather to platform the personal sports stories of influential individuals in the brand’s network.
I’m curious to see where they take it. There is so much scope to expand and get creative with it. Whether that’s platforming the writing of up-and-coming Nike athletes the world may not know about yet, or using the newsletter to shed light on the inner workings of the company’s relationship with sport’s greatest stars. For example, I’d love to read an article by a Nike designer or athlete manager giving a genuine (non-marketing-speak-filled) look at what a day or week in their life looks like.
So far, no brand has really been able to capture a wide audience on Substack. I think giving the reins to individuals like this, without pushing products of any kind, could be the way to go.
Let’s see.
That’s all for today, friends. Thanks for being here.
PS. Toni Cowan-Brown’s latest article, “Why Pirelli Was the Official Tyre Partner of the Australian Open”, is well worth a thorough read.
See you next time,
DYM
I love how you break down how Nike is at its best when it goes small—when it doesn’t flex its muscle but just let the culture lead.
I'm wondering now what other kind of actions they've planned to work alongside Substack content.. I'm seeing Nike going back to its core. The traiblazer spirit they know they need to bring back.