Stay True to Your Brand

Never lose sight of your promise or your values. Stay true to your brand. That’s our goal. But what about Nike? Here’s the story we’ve been taught:

In the early 60’s, a track coach tinkered with the design of running shoes to enhance performance on the oval. A company was created to advance his discoveries into products that consumers could use to improve their performance. The company had a clear mission and promise: to facilitate authentic athletic performance.

Employees felt just as passionately about the products as the athletes who used them to win track meets and basketball games. They were the frontline focus group and the toughest critics of every product and promotion. The company prospered and soon had the cash and cachet to work with the world’s greatest athletes. The company is synonymous with peak performance. But one thing didn’t change: If it wasn’t authentic…athletic…performance…it wasn’t Nike.

Here’s another perspective: Nike turns out customized tennis shoes for guys who collect them like Barbie dolls. They mashup entertainment and athletics for people who would rather feel the beat than the burn. One could argue that, somehow, they still have that athletic performance cachet. And, they created Nike Plus, which marries sports technology with metrics to prove performance. There’s also something solidly American about them. Is their departure from peak performance a deal with the devil? Or merely a trend-savvy sub brand?