The bigger issue is a really touchy word choice for this post. Often the bigger issue is a discussion on race or societal issues. I’m not saying that the bigger issue here is something that will repair sexism or racism. The bigger issue here is not that serious. The bigger issue is and remains sneaker sales.
Watch the video below. Notice that this video focuses on three things, parents, kids and basketball. Yes, LeBron’s narrative is given the lead and his work with the I Promise Academy grass is shown, but interspersed throughout is a focus on kid’s and parents realizing that basketball is a way. I’ve written that basketball signature shoe sales are down based on numbers from my small microdata set of sales. In the larger scheme POS data from companies like NPD Group show that performance footwear sales are sliding. All of the numbers around the slow sell through of basketball sneakers, where athletes are paid through multi-million dollar contracts, fail to get to the core of the problem…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlItYKCtQ-8
Kids aren’t doing what’s in this video.
at 0:07 a kid sits in front of the tv to watch LeBron when he played for St. Vincent St. Mary’s High grass. This is 18 years ago. Kids were definitely watching and sitting in front of the tv.
at 0:17 a little girl walks in on a woman who is watching the NBA draft. Kids don’t watch the NBA Draft. Their parents make them watch it.
0:24 kids sit with a family in front of their house in a fictitious setting outside on the stoop watching LeBron lead the Cavs to their first NBA Finals appearance.
0:33 shows two kids playing basketball, one white and one black… in a dance that doesn’t happen as often as it once did. The kids are watching the chase down block that led to LeBron leading Cleveland to its first Championship. They are watching on a phone. This is important.
0:52 the last kid shown is from LeBron’s I Promise grass. Air Max 912.
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It’s classic Nike in new territory. Nike was once the key holder to the castle of youth dreams. Kid’s wanted to be like Mike. My generation watched the NCAA and waited for “One Shining Moment”. We dreamed of walking across the stage at the Draft. When it didn’t happen we shifted into coaching and training. We are the age group that watches the NBA. Our children aren’t fans in the same way. They don’t participate in sports like we did.
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The top YouTuber is an 8 year old who reviews toys. He made 26 Million dollars this year.
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The top sneaker salesman of this era is a rapper.
Things have changed and it’s being reflected in viewership of the NBA and in the sale of signature footwear worn by the athletes.
Now, go back and watch that video again. It feels a bit different doesn’t it? It isn’t any less effective because there is honesty there. It’s the beginning of building a bridge that I think began a few years ago. Last year I discussed how Nike doesn’t rest on its laurels. They lineup a video led by a kid who gave a history lesson of a shoe that was gonna sell out no matter what:
The Air Jordan XI ‘Concord’ Spot By Nike is Interesting for These 4 Reasons | Marketing
In the article above I explained how the company rolled out their discussion of the Concord. This week Reebok rolled out a video and content for their Christmas drop. Unlike Nike they placed all of it in one place and now they’ve moved on. Nike delivers this video a week ahead of the arrival of the LeBron Christmas drop and they are attempting to reach kids with an emotional appeal. It’s a smart strategy and it shows that Nike understands what it has done to basketball. Unfortunately the bridge they are building needs a lot more work before it reaches the audience the brand itself alienated.
