Customers want to do business with real people, to understand what you stand for and what value you will bring to them. A personal brand is a foundational asset in career and business building. It encapsulates the values, style, skills, reputation and personality of the person and communicates these to an intended target audience.
Fig 1 and 2: Comparing profile pages for Richard Branson and his company Virgin on X show that people follow and engage with people more than corporate brands [accessed 12/3/2025]
How personal branding helps your business:
Differentiates you from your competitors
Can communicate your business values and principles
Builds credibility about your skills and knowledge
Gives your business a recognisable personality
Provides clarity for your prospective audience/ customers
Is a business asset you own and control
The success of the brand is in it’s relationship with it’s target audience, and the brand loyalty, sales and engagement it drives. An ill defined brand means your audience has nothing to grasp, or reasons to care about you, your business or your services.
Social media channels are effective tools for promoting a personal brand. They are free to use, and far reaching networks to communicate ideas, be found by new followers and directly listen to your audience.
“87% of social media marketers say consumers will search for brands on social media more than search engines…”
Hubspot, 2024
How to use social media for Personal Branding
Build your Social Media Branded Profiles
Identify the platforms that your audience hang out, and build your profile on those platforms
Keep your profile branding consistent across platforms
Optimise for SEO, keywords and the style of the platform
Link your profiles to your website
Utilize a system to ideate, create and schedule consistent content
PROFILE SHOWCASE
Alex Cattoni demonstrates how personal branding profiles are adapted for each platform.
She uses branded images, style and colours unique to her brand, and hashtags and keywords for her industry niche.
All profiles have her youtube channel linked, which has the most subscribers (and is also a monetised channel)
Facebook and Instagram have an informal and fun vibe showing bright colours, graphics and brand tone. LinkedIn and X are more formal in tone and neutral in imagery.
Fig 3-6 Comparison of Social Media Brand Profiles for Alex Cattoni (Copy Posse) top-bottom Facebook, Instagram, X and Linked In [accessed 25/2/2025]
Create great Social Content
Create posts valuable to your audience using a combination of ways to express your ideas, what you offer and engage with your audience when they leave comments.
Content types that define and establish your personal brand:
Eye catching images / infographics
Stop the scroll: your audience is more likely to stop and engage with your content if it looks great.
Short form video (3 mins or less)
Short from video has to be instantly entertaining and digestible
Long form video/podcast
Great for deep dives on a topic to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise
Link content to your website/blog
Get traffic to your website by linking post content to relevant website content
Polls
Find out opinions and conduct market research by asking your audience questions
Going live
Interact directly with your audience to answer questions
Direct Message
Once you have good engagement on your posts you can continue the conversation in direct messages
Guest Posting/ Collaborating
Being a guest on someone else’s blog, video or podcast establishes you as an authority in your field and introduces you to new audiences
Posting User Generated Content
Sharing positive content from your clients/audience gives your brand authority and trust.
CONTENT SHOWCASE
Seth Godin uses a wide variety of content types to keep things lively on his Instagram account: video, single images and carousels featuring guest posts, collaborations, behind the scenes, promotional graphics, user generated content and quotes from his books.
Re-using your content across platforms is an efficient way to further spread your voice to different audiences. Best practice is to tailor the content for each platform, changing the image and text will keep it fresh. Just cross posting the exact same content can be labour saving, but looks lazy.
CROSS POSTING SHOWCASE
Gary Stevenson maximises the value of one post across his different social platforms by re-using original media and reformatting it for different social channels.
The original content is a long format video on Youtube, which has the largest audience.
Snippets from the full length video are then used as bitesize posts on X (with links to full content), Instagram and Facebook to entice the audience to view the whole video on Youtube.
The marketing mix is a marketing model first created by E. Jerome McCarthy in 1960 using 4P’s, and extended by Bernard Booms and Mary Bitner in 1981 to include 3 more P’s.
This model is used to assess where marketing can be applied across a company.
The 7 P’s are:
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
Process
People
Physical Evidence
Fig 1: Nike Electric Swoosh (2019) [image] Found at MARKETING91
Product
First Steps
The first Nike product was the running shoe, a design adapted from the Onitsuka shoes originally imported from Japan under the name ‘Blue Ribbon Sports’.
This shoe was created by Bill Bowerman, who revolutionised the running shoe by fitting it with a rubber tread he created using a waffle iron so that runners didn’t have to use metal spikes on the bottom of their shoes.
Fig 2. KIRBY LEE/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES, ( n.d), the original Nike running shoe [photograph]
The array of Nike designs for athletic shoes, it’s primary product, grows as diverse as Nike’s markets, which are segmented according to demographic, geographic, behavioural and lifestyle factors.
Fig 3. Washington Post (2019)
Nike’s packaging design varies according to shoe design and price point. Branded packaging is an essential part of the product experience.
Fig 4. Sports Examiner (2019)
Product Expansion
Nike expanded their product ranges to include apparel in 1979 (encyclopedia.com, 2021) from shoes to clothing and accessories.
Nike have further diversified their product range as they have targeted new markets, such as women and children.
Technology plays a huge part in Nike’s product development in staying ahead of their competition.
The vaporfly is a recent example of Nike’s innovation causing controversy within the sports world. With claims that it allows runners to improve their times by 4.2% and gives them an unfair advantage(WSJ, 2020, See Fig.6).
Nike has also innovated the self lacing shoe in 2016, called the ‘adapt’ and the ‘Go Flyese’ in 2021 to respond to the need for disabled customers needs to have a ‘hands free’ shoe.
Price
Nike uses a value based pricing model for its standard product ranges. Products are priced according to perceived value by consumers.
Genius branding by Nike places their products at high value because of the quality of design and manufacture and uses psychological selling tactics to promote Nike as fashionable, cool and technologically advanced, compared to their competitors.
Nike apply a price skimming model to keep old stock selling until closeout.
New designs are priced high, and reduced over time.This screenshot of the Nike website(UK) shows their End of Season Sale with a 50% reduction from full price at the top of their website
Fig 8. Nike (2021)
Place
Nike employs many distribution channels to reach its consumers. It wholesales to chain stores, partners with category sport specific retailers and also sells direct to consumers.
Nike’s early business followed the wholesale model, selling Nike goods through other sports retail outlets worldwide.
This image is the JD Sports store, one of the destination category retail stores that Nike partners with (Weekend Edition, 2017, See Fig 9).
In 1990 Nike began expanding its reach with ‘brick-and-mortar’ expansion and opened its first retail store in Portland, Oregon USA.
Niketown stores sold the whole range of Nike products under one roof. From 1992 onwards Nike began opening more Niketown’s domestically, and by 1999 they began international retail domination with a combination of retail partnerships, bricks and mortar stores and e-commerce.
Niketown in London is situated in the heart of the shopping district. They now have 1048 worldwide retail stores (Statista, 2021) where the Nike experience is brought direct to consumers.
Fig 10. Constructure (2020) Niketown London
Fig 11. NIKE (2021) Football uniform section on Nike homepage [screenshot website]
Nike’s direct to consumers distribution model went online with a ‘bricks and clicks’ strategy in 1999.
Philip H. Knight, chairman and CEO of Nike, was quoted as saying, “With the Internet, we have an opportunity to recapture a level of intimacy with our consumer and simultaneously drive potential buyers to our retail partners.”(ecommercetimes, 1999).
The site is segmented by geography, with different countries having their own version of the homepage relevant to that target market.
The homepage also updated frequently to feature products targeted to specific demographics and seasonal changes (Nike, 2021, See Fig 11).
This video demonstrates Nike adapting to modern consumer expectations of the future. The bricks and clicks model of the future is where both physical and digital experiences are fully integrated
Fig 12. Engadget (2018)Nike Manhattan
This Futuristic store on 5th Avenue Manhattan features the integration of mobile apps and a physical store to create a curated individual consumer experience.
Consumers can find products using a Nike app, order and collect and even try on garments in a changing room specifically fitted with ‘selfies’ in mind.
Nike branded boutiques within department stores will become a thing of the past as Nike severes it’s partnerships with many stores in 2021.
DSW, Urban Outfitters and Macy’s are amongst the casualties of the Consumer Direct strategy.
Sam Poser, an analyst stated “Nike is moving fast to increase its brand strength, as well company sales and margins,” (footwearnews.com, 2021)
As well as Nike pulling out of many physical outlets they have also ceased distribution through online retailers such as Amazon. This allows Nike to take more control of their brand, it’s messaging and product prices.
Promotion
Nike have fully harnessed the power of promotion to make them the globally recognised brand they are today.
Nike employ many forms of outbound promotion such as advertising in the traditional mediums of television, print and billboards, and more recently have leaned in heavily into inbound marketing such as social media and using analytics to gain more information of the markets they are targeting. This year Nike spent over $3 billion on advertising and promotion (Statista, 2021)
Their “Just Do It” campaign in 1988 has become the most famous advertising tagline of all time (Campaign, 2020) and has been featured in many campaigns since (Ads Lover, 2020 See Fig 14).
Nike’s outbound marketing channels are still a large part of its strategy to stay culturally front and centre.
The 30th Anniversary ‘Just Do It’ campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, a former NFL star and political activist brought media criticism, but ultimately led to more sales and soaring stock price (CBS News, 2018).
Fig 15. Getty Images (2018)
Controversy Campaigns
Controversial topics that matter to its consumers and speak to its values has been a core part of Nike’s promotional strategy.
The ‘Dream Crazier’ campaign is overtly femenist. Narrated by Serena Williams, it focuses on exceptional women in sport and concerns the labelling of women in sport (and society) as ‘crazy’ if they push boundaries and fight for their place.
Nike use powerful emotions in their advertising and use cause marketing to connect with the values of their customers.
Celebrity Sponsorship
Nike’s main promotional strategy is the use of celebrity and influencer athletes across a wide range of sports and across genders.
Nike’ most bankable celebrity asset is soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo ). As well as being one of the most watched and photographed sports stars of all time, he has a huge social media influence.
Ronaldo is the most followed account on instagram with over 315 million followers (statista, 2021)
Fig 16. sportytell, (2021)
Social Media
In recent years social media and digital marketing have allowed promotional interaction to take place between Nike and its customer base, and has also fuelled a huge upsurge in consumers and influencers creating original content and marketing to each other.
Micro and specialist influencers across platforms such as Instagram and Youtube create content for their own subscribers.
This is Jaques Slade, looking at the Nike Flyese Go in Feb 2021, which has over a million views to date (Jaques Slade, 2021, See Fig 16).
Process
Bill Bowerman began Nike’s drive to make products that improve athletic performance with his waffle iron in the early 1970’s.
Nike began their business with extensive research built into their product development strategy. They conducted market research alongside performance measurement to improve their shoes.
Nike has extensive research labs to measure athletic performance for numerous sports and use this data to develop new materials, innovative design and improve construction methods
Fig 17. Nike (2013)
Once research and development is complete, products are manufactured, shipped and distributed across the world.
Fig 18. Nike (2021)
Nike runs a lean manufacturing process, concentrating on increasing efficiency, speeding up production and distribution and reducing waste (E.B.Kevin, 2020) so that it can deliver the right product at the right time to the right consumer.
Nike outsourced the manufacturing of its’ products in nearly 800 factories outside the USA in China, Vietnam and Indonesia as well as other countries (Market Realist, 2020).
Finished products are shipped by air and sea from oversea factories to their destination countries and distributed from huge centres such as this one in Memphis which is one of more than 500 distribution centre’s worldwide.
Fig 19. Soletrader (2015)
Fig 20. Nike (2021) This infographic represents what Nike calls it’s “value chain”
It demonstrates how Nike considers the whole process of its products from raw material production to ‘end of life’.
With the current consumer desire for transparency and sustainability, Nike make great effort to demonstrate their corporate responsibility.
People
Founders
Nike’s founders Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight were the first salesmen in the companies history.
Bill Bowerman was a renowned track and field coach, and his athletes were the first consumers of the new Nike sports shoes.
(Fig 21. Oprah (n.d) Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight
This personal selling approach was short lived as demand outstripped the supply and Nike evolved to manufacture its own products and distribute them via wholesale and retail models, and eventually direct to worldwide consumers through their online store.
This image shows Nike’s customer advisers in the retail environment.
Nike see their retail salespeople as “athletes” with expertise and knowledge to direct consumers to the products they need and guide them through to the end of the buyer’s journey.
Customer Service
Digital direct to consumer communication is increasingly important for global companies. Conversations do not transmit through the regular channels of face to face or telephone, but by social media.
Like many global companies Nike deals with customer services and community building through digital platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
Part of this is in response to customers moving to social media to share their feelings and experiences about companies, and to ask questions and gain inspiration and support.
Fig 23. Twitter (2021)
Physical Evidence
Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton Oregon,USA is under constant expansion. The site houses offices, work spaces and research centres and parking (Nike, 2016 See Fig 24).
“Our expanding World Headquarters reflects the best of Nike’s culture — a place where we obsess the athlete and invent future products and experiences for consumers everywhere.” Mark Parker, 2017 (Executive Chairman, Nike)
Fig 24. NIKE (2016) NIKE WHQ [photo]
Nike’s La Roca BIG BOX store in Barcelona demonstrates the use of branding display and a visually appealing layout for an exciting customer experience.
Triplar fitted the store with Nike’s sustainability policy in mind “by diverting waste from landfill with the use of existing fixtures within the new refit”, Oliver Leigh(Triplar 2018)
Fig 25. Triplar (2018)
Nike’s uniform design for the first team of USA skateboarding athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Fig 26. Dezeen (2020)
Nike has been a partner of the Olympic Committee since 2005, and is the most recognised brand associate with the games (The Morning Consultant, 2021).
Nike football kit brochure is just one of specialised product catalogues Nike produces.
Nike uses brochures for it’s specialist sport product ranges feature products from sunglasses to whole team kits. These brochures, previously printed on paper, are now downloadable PDF’s direct from niketeam.nike.com.
Fig 27. Football kits Co ( 2021)
Nike’s website is central to it’s post pandemic marketing mix. It shows products and apps designed to pull consumers into the Nike sales funnel (Nike, 2021 See Fig 28)
Nike’s strong customer base and ‘double down’ strategy in e-commerce helped Nike profit despite closing physical stores during the pandemic. During 2020, Nike grew it’s digital sales by nearly 80% (Fox Business, 2020).
Fig 28 NIKE (2021) Nike homepage [screenshot from website]
Comparing inbound marketing strategy for the V&A London v Brighton and Hove Museums
IN THIS ARTICLE
In this article I am reporting on the Inbound Marketing of two museum websites, the Brighton and Hove Museum (my local) and the internationally prestigious V&A Museum.
Both websites and organisation share common business goals:
B&H have an attractive image heavy website that is supported by good organic SEO implementation which makes them highly visible with high authority in search. The website is promoted with a good mix of video and image content on socials, that promotes the museum’s activities, with BTS and Seasonal content interspersed and a good hashtag strategy.
Effective use of keywords
Clear header navigation
numerous backlinks
good internal link structure
quality blog content
four social channels, Facebook, Instagram, X, Youtube
Newsletter sign up
V&A Museum’s Inbound Strategy
Figure 2: V&A (2024) [online] Screenshot of V&A Homepage
The V&A has a sophisticated visually strong website with extremely well organised content and clear CTA’s. The website uses good page structure hierarchy and UX as well as paid ads and keywords to maximise SEO. Five social channels, all produce unique curated content to each channel and use a good mix of professional photography, video, BTS, promotional and educational high quality content.
Mix of Paid and Organic keywords
Clear header and on-site navigation throughout
Extensive backlinks
Extensive internal link structured
High quality blog content and education archive
five very active social channels, facebook, Instagram, Youtube, X, Pinterest, all individually curated
Newsletter sign up on page and in footer
Paid social ads
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Inbound Marketing Approach used by Each Organisation
B&H
STRENGTH
WEAKNESS
Solid SEO, keywords/ hierarchy
Content rich attractive site
Informative landing pages
Regular social posting
Main CTA not clear
Other CTA’s are generic
Newsletter sign up doesn’t work (no submission confirmation or email)
Neglected Youtube channel
Blog is hidden under ‘News’
No PPC strategy in search or socials
Figure 3: Brighton &Hove Museum (2024) Big News, Gully is coming back, 13 Dec 2024, Instagram . Available at Instagram
V&A
STRENGTH
WEAKNESS
Great art direction
Organic and paid keywords
Clear site hierarchy and organisation
Clear Main CTA
Good internal page linking
Great landing pages
Exceptional social content
Each social channel has different curated content for different audiences
Newsletter is well crafted
Paid membership subscription scheme
Pinterest page seems to have no strategy
Not using hashtags effectively in socials
No direct brand engagement with audience
Figure 4: V&A Museum (2024) Now Open, The Great Mughals Art, Architecture and Opulence, 13 Dec 2024. Available at Instagram
Which organisation was best at inbound Marketing
The V&A are more successful at inbound marketing.
The V&A utilize more strategies to attract their audience with a sophisticated curated site and strong social media presence. They also use social ads and paid keywords to optimise their discovery. Clear navigation and CTA’s guide the customer through the buyers journey, and their membership newsletter is enticing to bring customers back to revisit.
Figure 5: V&A (2024) V&A Newsletter See what’s on at the V&A, 10 Dec 2024. Available at See what’s on at the V&A
Examples of how each organisation could improve it’s inbound marketing
B&H
Declutter website layout and better organise information
Improve landing page for Newsletter
Email Sign up should be more prominent on page
Using automated chatbot for FAQ / customer service
Utilizing more video content
Make Blog easier to find
Make sure the newsletter is automated
V&A
overhaul Pinterest organisation and optimise for V&A shop products, and short form video
create more shorts on Youtube and cross publish on V and A Pinterest
Be actively engaged with audience to boost charity’s mission and endeavours.
Personalising Email Newsletter
Using automated chatbot for FAQ or customer service
How consumers use technology and it’s impact on their lives
This article comprises a slideshow presentation, script notes and a video presentation that explore the theme of the impact of the internet on our lives. I take a look at some interesting stats that demonstrate our reliance on technology, and how we use it.
Script notes:
DIALOGUE
VISUAL AIDS
Hi My Name is Chrissie And today I’ll be talking about how consumers use technology and its impact on their lives
SLIDE: Introduction
Latest Our World in Data research shows that 63% of the global population is connected to the internet and
SLIDE: Access to the Internet
Rich and densely populated areas have higher internet penetration than rural and economically underdeveloped area’s according to Statista.
SLIDE: Internet Penetration by Region
Phones have become more powerful providing a convenient and cheaper alternative to computers. Statista’s data shows that 97% of the global population owns a mobile, while 58% access through a computer. This enables more people in developing areas to access the internet.
SLIDE: Global Population Device Ownership
And Statcounter confirms mobile’s dominance, showing that it takes just over 60% of global data traffic. But wireless traffic is more than just the devices we wear, carry and use at home.
SLIDE: Data Market Share by Device
There are many other devices wirelessly connected together. Homes and businesses are automated by the Internet of Things, a network of devices, appliances and software that collect and share data, and then analyse and adjust appliances and machinery without human intervention.
SLIDE: Digital Devices Used by Audiences
Search is software we use to navigate the massive amount of data on the internet, and traditionally customers use a search engine. Statcounter data shows that Google is still the market giant in this sector, taking 89.4% of current search traffic.
SLIDE: How Customers Search for Information
In 2016 Google announced a pivot to mobile first indexing, recognising the rise of mobile popularity. And by 2021 Statista’s data shows that 63% of all searches were done on a mobile.
SLIDE: Mobile search overtakes Desktop
How we search is still evolving, with new technologies such as visual and voice search giving us more ways to find what we want, and more recently AI generative search uses language models to understand the intent of the enquiry to give us better results.
SLIDE: Search Methods Available
One of our most popular things to search for are products. When we are looking for products online marketplaces take more than double the search enquiries than a search engine, according to Statista.
SLIDE: How Customers Search for products
In 2023 19.4% of worldwide retail sales were attributed to e-commerce, a trend Statista predict to continue year on year. A large part of this growth is attributed to shopping behaviour changes during the Pandemic and the growth of mobile commerce.
SLIDE: The Rise of Ecommerce
In physical products we spend most of our e-commerce money on electrical consumables, fashion and food in that order. The top digital consumables are TV and movie streaming, music downloads and music streaming according to DataReportal.
SLIDE: What consumers Buy Online
Video consumption grew during the Covid 19 Pandemic, peaking in 2022 when we watched 19 hours of video per week according to Statista.
SLIDE: Online Video Consumption
Erricson reports that video consumption on mobile has over quadrupled in the last four years. Video watching is the most popular activity on our mobiles, Statista’s figures show that 72.7% of monthly mobile data was spent on video apps, and a further 8.6% on social networking.
SLIDE: Mobile Video Consumption
Internet habits adopted as coping mechanisms during the Covid-19 Pandemic have since become staples of our internet usage. Redgate figures show that between 2020 and ’24 our global data consumption more than doubled and shows no signs of slowing.
SLIDE: Consumer Trends
Mobile’s share of web traffic is growing year on year. 2023 to ’24 showed a 17% increase according to DataReportal and mobile commerce, as a share of E-commerce rose 6% from last year.
SLIDE: Upward Mobile Trends
Social media has become a daily destination for many internet users, we spend an average of 2hours 19 mins on social media according to Datareportal. Statista reports that 8.6% of monthly mobile data usage is spent on social networking apps. And we aren’t just scrolling and messaging anymore, Datareportal finds that 46.1% of us use social search to find and research products and that social commerce has grown 23% from last year.
SLIDE: Upward Social Trends
New technology is changing how we interact with the internet. Augmented Reality on mobile grew by 4.27% of users between 2023 and ’24 estimates Statista. The most used AI tool is ChatGPT, an AI generative language model that is currently causing disruption in search, content creation and marketing. Demandsage reports it has 200 million weekly users.
SLIDE: New Tech Trends
Key takeaways from current research is that mobile technology is providing more ways for more people to access the internet, even in rural and less developed area’s. The technology we carry in our pockets is ubiquitous and it’s impact on our lives, both real and virtual, is far reaching. We do more search, commerce, social networking and video consumption on a mobile than any other device and new technology will continually evolve our internet landscape.
SLIDE: Summary
Thanks for listening to my presentation, check out my blog at www.curlyred.space for more marketing insights.
SLIDE: Thankyou
And please share with your friends if you liked it.
With last years revenue over $51 billion (Nike, 2024) Nike are industry leaders in sports footwear, and the highest valued apparel brand Globally ( Statista ,2024)
They remain in the top position due to their mastery of the marketing mix, with promotion being a key part of their continued success.
Nike invests heavily in promotion. This year Nike has spent 4.29 billion U.S. dollars on advertising and promotion (Davies, K (2025), compared to their biggest rival Adidas who’s advertisement investment peaked in 2019 at 3.04 billion dollars (Guttman.A, 2021. Statista).
Nike wasn’t always the well oiled promotion machine it is today. It has evolved over time from product focused to customer-centric, as Philip Knight, founder of Nike explained in 1992 “… we realize that everything spins off the consumer. And while technology is still important, the consumer has to lead innovation. We have to innovate for a specific reason, and that reason comes from the market.” ( Willigan, G 1992. HBR)
Fig 2. NEWS.NIKE (2013) NIKE PRODUCT RESEARCH [photo]
Nike’s Storytelling Strategy
In the companies early days Nike’s promotional strategy was entirely sport focused, with ad’s that featured sporting greats of the day and emphasised the innovation and benefits of products. The ‘Just Do It’ campaign in 1988 heralded the beginning of Nike’s transition from featuring products and their benefits to storytelling and emotional benefits.
Since then Nike have continued to tap into emotions and storytelling as their main vehicles for brand messaging, using the personality and stardom of it’s endorsed athletes.
Fig 3. Weiss A / GETTY IMAGES, ENTREPRENEUR (2018) Nike billboard [photo]
From emotional marketing to cause marketing Nike stay close to the values of their customers and champions their causes. Through their campaigns they have tackled themes of equality, diversity, feminism, ageism and racism, positioning themselves as a morally superior brand that cares about the issues of their market.
Their moral stance on Zeitgeist issues has allowed them to successfully manage brand perception when their company has faced public criticism. When Nike were criticised publicly for lack of diversity in their own workforce, or poor working conditions, low wages and child labour in their supply chain they have used PR campaigns, social media channels and their blog to swiftly react and report changes to their operations and transparency on how they are tackling in-house problems.
Fig 4. NIKE SERVICE (2021) TWITTER [screenshot from website]
Titans of Technology
The pivotal point for Nike to take full advantage of consumer power came to fruition in the digital age. Technology has transformed Nike’s promotional strategy and given them opportunities to create direct relationships with their customers. Through apps like SNKRS Nike offers exclusive releases and insider access, the perfect promotion tool to sneaker heads.
Fig 5. NIKE (2021) website store products [screenshot webpage]
The unexpected market disruption of the Coronavirus pandemic caused Nike to accelerate it’s ‘Consumer Direct Offensive’ (Nike, 2017) . To reach this goal they invested in e-commerce, inbound marketing, mobile apps and social media. With over 64 million followers across their social platforms allows them to listen and respond directly to their customers virtually face to face.
In 2021 Nike reported that digital sales increased 29% (Nike, 2021, Nike News) and John Donahoe, President and CEO of Nike declared “The consumer shift to digital is permanent, and our digital penetration will only increase in years to come,” (Fortune, 2020)
Nike is currently investing in future technologies to stay ahead in the market and protect it’s brand in virtual as well as the physical world, with Nike branded NFT’s and collaborations they can promote in the VR space before their rivals (Golden.J 2021 CNBC). Their numerous branded apps allow them to track data on the customer journey and enhance the customer experience, provide value and increase customer loyalty.
Fig 6. ENGADGET (2018) NIKE HOUSE OF INNOVATION PREVIEW. Available at Nike House Of Innovation preview – YouTube [screenshot webpage]
Final Take Away
With Nike’s focus on technological advance and digital marketing they can reach into the lives of their customers, both physically and virtually and create ever stronger relationships and brand loyalty. So long as Nike stay customer-centric and use their brand voice to align with the customers values and practice cause marketing with authenticity they will continue to keep brand perception high and continue to grow.
Nike Factory Store – La Roca Barcelona – La Roca, Barcelona, Spain – 30 May 2018 – (Photo: Martin FLOUSEK / www.martinflousek.com)
