Because it cuts thru the noise to the heart of Nike downward slide. If EH and queen of self promotion CS are reading this and not sh-----g bricks and have no plan to fix this, Nikes days are numbered.
Barchart.com/story/news/1166629/nikes-real-problem-isnt-sales-its-relevance
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When you market to the 1% while simultaneously alienating the 99%, one can expect market share and sales to decrease. Basic math.
It’s the d-mbest article ever - another outsider without a single clue.
@he I feel like there is a subversive element in some of these posts. A bad actor trying to pose as a disgruntled Nike employee. Could be someone from a competitor, someone who feels wronged by Nike, or just some person who hates the idea of Nike. Good to remember this is not a Nike only forum, but a public one that anyone can participate in. I've seen quite a few posts that use old information incorrectly to try and appear as if they are "on the inside"
What @gz said. Sports Marketing is at the heart of what Nike is and does. Even though it’s a comparatively small org it is likely disproportionately responsible for more product sales over the decades than any other single org within Nike. I’m not sure why someone would think that shrinking that powerful demand creation tool might benefit Nike. It absolutely wouldn’t.
@e4 Sports Marketing is what maintains any amount of relevance remaining. Cut that and it’ll be like slitting your throat.
There is truth to this. The factors impacting Nike are scale, meaning too big to keep growing fast , high tariffs and thirdly lack of cool. This is a mature company that pays a sizable dividend. It’s time to act like it. Company probably needs to cut a third of heads and not be able be wasteful. That means cut sports marketing, cut events and close stores if it’s not profitable then can’t afford it we are the new adi.
Thanks, OP. This article should be REQUIRED reading for every Nike employee. Because it accurately explains the underlying problem for Nike: The brand simply isn’t “cool” like it used to be. And once a brand loses that sort of relevance it’s really, REALLY difficult to get it back.
This is also why I genuinely believe Nike is going to see rolling layoffs for years to come. Nike is still staffed for perpetual 8% annual growth, when going forward ANY growth will be increasingly difficult to achieve. Nike leadership either hasn’t yet figured this out (doubtful), or they don’t yet want to do what is increasingly becoming an obvious requirement: the company needs to shrink headcount by more than just a small percentage. When all is said and done this company needs to downsize by AT LEAST 25%.
I know, I know…nobody wants to read that or believe it. Totally understandable. And to the extent that’s true it reminds me of Trump’s supporters in 2020, most of whom stubbornly refused to accept that, yes, the guy REALLY did lose the election. They didn’t want to accept it because it went against the narrative they had built inside their own heads; that it was literally impossible for him to lose. But reality always has a way of telling people ugly things they might not want to accept.
Personally I’m looking for a new employer. Not out of spite, anger, or anything like that. I simply realize that the game of “layoff musical chairs” will not only continue but will accelerate, and frankly I no longer want to work at a place where my continued employment is “iffy” from quarter to quarter. I already have enough stressors in my life where I don’t need to add THAT one on top of everything else.
I mean, how does a person buy a house, a car, or engage in financially managing their lives in general when that person always knows that their gainful employment is anything BUT secure from year to year? Maybe some of you can stomach that perfectly fine, but I can’t. I’m in my mid-40’s now and at a place in life where I realize a single layoff might very well spell the end of any “career” I had. Along with the financial stability having a career provides.
Everyone will and should do what’s best for themselves. For me, I had a good run at Nike. Now however, it’s time for me to move onto a different role that will allow me better peace of mind. I don’t have the stomach to stay here, watch things continue to decline, all the while hoping that sudden email from HR doesn’t arrive in my inbox during a work from home week. If you CAN stomach this, more power to ya.
CS on the SLT tells you everything you need to know about the current state of Nike.
it's kind of obvious