Inside Nike's Cultural Comeback
A Super Bowl marketing masterclass and a revitalised product pipeline signal that the brand once again has the right leaders at the helm and is steadily getting back on track.
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A lot can happen in 12 months.
This time last year, I wrote the article “How Nike Ran Off Course.” It was the first public analysis of a growing consensus that the most successful, aspirational sporting goods brand of all time was in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. The extent of that crisis quickly became clear: sales (and Nike’s share price) began to fall, sneakerheads grew tired of seeing the same old Jordans, Dunks and Air Forces on shelves, and employees past and present voiced their disapproval of former CEO John Donahoe.
But the Swoosh has slowly begun fighting back. Last fall, Donahoe was replaced by Nike lifer Elliott Hill to much jubilation, while other veterans who’d left the brand under the previous management (like CMO Nicole Hubbard Graham) are also back at the helm.
The momentum gained from this change at the top has helped jolt Nike back into offense. Nike’s powerful Super Bowl showing sent out a clear statement of intent and was the latest indication of the sportswear giant’s cultural renaissance—an effort to reassert its dominance and revive critical brand heat that will ultimately underpin its financial resurgence.
“Step one was getting the right people back in charge of the brand. Check. Step two was reminding people what Nike is all about in a way that only Nike can. Check. The comeback is underway.”
A Super Bowl Marketing Masterclass
Nike notched not one, not two, but three big wins at the Super Bowl.
Its ad, the first Super Bowl spot the brand had run since 1998, was a Nike marketing tour de force, flexing its association with the world’s greatest female athletes in a new Doechii-narrated campaign, titled “So Win.”
Nike spotlighted its all-star female athletes, including Caitlin Clark, Jordan Chiles, Aryna Sabalenka, Sha’Carri Richardson, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Sophia Wilson and Juju Watkins.
The ad shows the athletes going about their business, shooting, running, jumping, scoring, and showing raw emotion, all while a voice lists the many things they’ve been told female athletes can’t do. "You can’t win,” Doechii says. “So win”.
It recalls the grit and swagger of Nike’s “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” campaign during last summer’s Olympics, the first big campaign rolled out under CMO Nicole Hubbard Graham, who returned to the brand last year after stepping away in 2020.
Nike used the moment to send a message that went beyond the contents of the new campaign. It was three times the length of the average Super Bowl ad. Brands had paid as much as $8 million for a mere 30-second spot during this year’s Super Bowl. It was a flex of Nike’s unparalleled size and access compared to its peers in the sportswear category. The brand’s $4.3 billion marketing budget alone dwarfs the annual revenue of several of its competitors. This moment was designed to remind people that Nike is not afraid to throw its weight about.
Nike then did what it does best, releasing a quick turnaround ad to celebrate the Eagles’ runaway victory. The tongue-in-cheek spot, “It’s Good to Be Green”, was narrated by a Kermit-sounding voice, leaving it up to fans to go wild in the comments trying to decipher if it was a cheeky dig at the Chief’s Patrick Mahomes, who just so happens to be an Adidas athlete.
Better still: Jalen Hurts, who ended the night as Super Bowl MVP, helped Nike add a little stardust to its most hyped sneaker rollout of the year, wearing a custom pair of Mache-designed Air Jordan 1 ’85 “Bred” cleats, with the swoosh crossed out and the word “unbannable” written in capital letters across both heels. It was a nod to Nike’s greatest marketing moment ever, when Michael Jordan’s original signature sneaker was allegedly banned by the NBA, meaning Nike paid a fine every time he wore them on the court.
Bonus points: Even Kendrick—after wearing Asics at a press conference days before—wore a pair of Nike Air DT Max ’96 sneakers in the “Colorado Away” colorway. Serena Williams crip walked her heart out wearing Converse (owned by Nike). Nike also showed up at Bode’s GQ Bowl show, teasing a new model of the Nike x Bode Astro Grabber sneaker. Tyla, who posted in a Michael Jordan jersey a week ago, was profiled on The People Gallery ahead of the Super Bowl wearing a custom Nike outfit and a pair of Air Max Dn8 women’s sneakers. (I feel like Nike is trying to tell us something here, but I’ll let y’all join the dots.)
Extra bonus points: Fashion royalty Carine Roitfeld teased an upcoming Nike partnership of some sort with a Super Bowl ad in which she wore a T-shirt celebrating Nike’s roster of female athletes. Her caption read: “Game on… watch this space.”
Refuelling the Product Pipeline
In the past year, one of Nike’s many issues has been a shortage of new and exciting products to get people excited about the brand again. During the Olympics, Nike’s marketing roared back into action with “Winning Isn’t For Everyone”, but the brand still had very little to show by way of new sneakers or apparel lines. Nike was suddenly the sneaker behemoth that didn’t have any new sneakers to sell.
But since the beginning of this year, Nike has been steadily getting back to its old ways, with a series of lifestyle and performance sneaker releases that are getting sneakerheads talking. After years of releasing clunky basketball shoes, Nike is finally offering sleeker low-rise models which fit the general silhouette that consumers look for in sneakers today. It’s also worth noticing that Nike has opted for a significantly minimised Swoosh on each of the below models, an indication of its new strategy to show, rather than tell.
Air Max Dn8. The shoe is an update on the Air Max Dn, which launched last year to mixed reviews. As seen on Tyla ahead of the Super Bowl, the Dn8 is a sleeker, less bulky version of its predecessor and includes a women’s-specific red colourway that has got sneakerheads excited.
Air Max Superfly: a relaunch of the Air Superfly, a low-rise retro running sneaker first released 25 years ago. Nike has used Sha’Carri Richardson to promote the sneaker ahead of the launch, and the American sprinter is wearing Superflys in the “So Win” campaign.
Air Max Muse: a new, futuristic-looking silhouette designed for women.
Astro Grabber: At Bode’s GQ Bowl show, the brand teased a second iteration of its Nike Astro Grabber collaboration, another low-rise model aimed at women.
Pegasus Premium: Nike’s new $210 road running shoes were a hit, instantly selling out on the brand’s website on release early this year. It was a critical win for Nike, which is desperate to show it still has the market-leading innovation in performance—especially running—to keep up with the likes of On, Hoka and New Balance.
Reconnecting to Sports Culture
When CEO Elliott Hill addressed the public for the first time as Nike CEO in December, he spoke of how Nike’s loss of purpose had led it astray. “We lost our obsession with sport,” he said. “Moving forward, we will lead with sport and put the athlete at the center of every decision.”
There’s a long road ahead for Nike. It takes a while to turn around a $51 billion brand. Growth has stalled to such an extent that Nike is likely headed for its worst annual performance in nearly 30 years.
There's no doubt that the brand’s next few quarterly earnings will be bleak. The good news for Nike is that this is already factored into both its share price (sitting at a five-year low of $68 per share) and the goodwill afforded Hill.
But what’s clearer than anything after this Super Bowl weekend is that Nike finally has its spirit back. Step one was getting the right people back in charge of the brand. Check. Step two was reminding people what Nike is all about in a way that only Nike can. Check. The comeback is underway.
That’s all for today, friends. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Until next time!
DYM
I don’t feel like the Super Bowl ad was as inspiring honestly (unless I didn’t see the right one). The narrative around women sports that they “must” do what others tell them not to do is tired imo. It perpetuates and reiterates the notion of “women are not supposed to” in an era when women are doing and very much excelling at everything. Look at the Liberties! Caitlin Clark should be portrayed the same way an emerging NBA rookie is. Plus, enough with the studio shoots. Let’s bring back irreverence and fun! Nike should be less robotic, that was what made it so iconic back in the day. I don’t watch or follow the NFL, so I can’t speak on the rest but I don’t see a cultural impact in that “win” campaign. I wasn’t inspired.
Great list of the key kicks coming through for Nike, but you forgot one major one: the A'One, which A'ja wore in the ad too!