Take Nike stock back to $100+. 9 steps. 2 years. No $50 million consulting firm required.
If I were running Nike, these are the nine things I’d prioritize to get our stock back above $100 within two years. No revolutionary restructuring, no 150-slide PowerPoint about unlocking synergies. Just getting back to what made Nike great.
- Pricing: Stop Pricing Out Our Customers
Nike has gotten ridiculously expensive. A Tech Fleece tracksuit is nearly $300, and shoes that cost $120 a few years ago are now pushing $160+. Have manufacturing costs really increased that much, or are we just testing how much customers will tolerate? We’ve spent years raising prices while making our products less accessible. At some point, premium pricing becomes corporate greed, and customers eventually walk away. I remember when we raised prices during Covid in the name of Covid, and then never returned them back to what they were before😂 Prices just keep going up and up in the name of corporate greed.
- Quality: Higher Prices Should Mean Better Products
We’re charging more while customers increasingly complain about declining quality. Go on Reddit, social media, or our own product reviews. The feedback is everywhere. Poor durability, inconsistent materials, questionable craftsmanship. Why should anyone pay more for something they believe is getting worse? Improve quality control, invest in better materials, and if necessary, make fewer products. A $180 shoe shouldn’t require the customer to perform their own quality inspection. It says a lot when I think of if I didn’t have the employee discount I probably wouldn’t even buy Nike because of what I’ve seen.
- Listen to Customers: They’re Literally Telling Us What’s Wrong
We have an endless supply of free consumer research through Reddit, social media, and product reviews. People consistently complain about sizing, quality, availability, and repetitive products. Yet somehow, our response seems to be releasing another 47 colorways of the same shoe. Maybe instead of spending millions researching what consumers want, we could start by listening to what they’re already telling us.
- Sponsorships: Invest in Everyday Athletes
Professional athletes will always be part of Nike’s DNA, but consumer inspiration has evolved. I can’t relate to LeBron James and his billion-dollar lifestyle. I can relate to the parent squeezing in a workout before work or someone training for their first marathon. Those are the people influencing everyday purchasing decisions. More so than ever, the younger generations are disconnected from professional athletes. I think we should maintain strategic superstar partnerships, but redirect more investment toward grassroots sports, local communities, and relatable athletes. Not every marketing campaign needs someone with a championship ring and a nine-figure contract.
- Sizing: Apparently, Wide Feet Aren’t Athletic
Nike says, “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” Unless, apparently, you have wide feet. For the love of God, offer more width options. Even my own parents rarely use my Friends & Family discount because the shoes they want don’t come in wide sizes. Think about that. We can’t even convince people to buy our products at a discount because they literally don’t fit. If everybody is an athlete, maybe we should make shoes everybody can wear.
- Protect Nike’s American Identity
Nike was born in Oregon and became a global icon through its connection to sport, innovation, and American culture. Global expansion is important, and markets like India offer enormous opportunities. But moving critical functions overseas purely to reduce costs risks eroding the institutional knowledge, culture, and identity that made Nike successful. There’s a difference between investing in India as a growth market and relocating operations because a spreadsheet says it’s cheaper. We can grow globally without hollowing out the foundation of the company.
- Politics: Just Focus on Great Products
Nike has created iconic campaigns by taking bold positions, but today’s political environment is increasingly polarized. Not every controversy builds brand equity, and alienating half your potential customers isn’t exactly a brilliant growth strategy. Be intentional about the issues we engage in, but focus our storytelling on sport, performance, perseverance, and community. We don’t need to participate in every political debate to prove we’re bold. Sometimes the boldest thing we can do is make a product people actually want.
- Employee Morale: Trust in Leadership Is Broken
You can have the greatest strategy in the world, but it’s meaningless if employees don’t believe in the people executing it. Years of layoffs, constant restructuring, shifting priorities, and limited accountability have destroyed confidence. Employees are asked to embrace the next transformation while wondering if they’ll survive the current one. Leadership needs to listen, take accountability, and rebuild trust. We don’t need another inspirational town hall about “winning together” while everyone quietly updates their LinkedIn profiles.
- Innovation: Remember When Nike Changed the Game?
This is arguably the most important point. Nike built its reputation on innovations like Air, Flyknit, and ZoomX, technologies that transformed entire product categories. Today, too much innovation feels niche, gimmicky, or impossible to purchase. Self-lacing shoes and foot-massaging technology are cool, but where’s the next Flyknit? And if we spend a decade developing something like Nike Mind, maybe we should make enough for customers to actually buy it. Innovation should be scalable, accessible, and meaningful. Not just something that looks impressive in a leadership presentation.
The Bottom Line: We’ve Completely Lost the Plot
I genuinely believe these nine priorities could dramatically improve employee morale, consumer sentiment, and ultimately Nike’s financial performance.
And the frustrating part? None of this is revolutionary.
Make better products. Charge reasonable prices. Listen to customers. Invest in communities. Innovate. Take care of employees. Protect the brand.
Instead, we seem obsessed with reorganizing geographies, relocating functions, cutting headcount, and calling it “strategic transformation.”
We’re rearranging the furniture while the house is on fire, then congratulating ourselves on the new floor plan. Our foundation is on fire and it seems like we are ok with that.
Nike still has one of the most powerful brands in the world. We have the talent, resources, and heritage to turn things around. But we’ve spent too long taking customer loyalty for granted, and now we’re paying the price.
Stop optimizing the PowerPoint. Start optimizing the product.
Just Do It. Seriously. Actually do it this time.