Recapture

Sustaining popularity is exceedingly difficult. Nike Basketball dominated the 1990s and dominates still today. Over that span of 30 years, it has not always been a straight line. There were ups and downs along the way. As mentioned in a previous article Renaissance, which can be read here, the 2000s brought about interesting times at Nike. While some divisions of the brand, Nike SB in particular, were experiencing massive success and increasing levels of hype, Nike Basketball failed to capitalize on the momentum created by the previous decade. The 2000s saw an over-identification with the futuristic design craze that gripped the culture. Shoes like the “Shox BB4,” “Air Solo Flight 1,” “Flightposite III,” and the “Zoom Ultraflight” all embodied this design language. With these shoes and others like them, Nike packed as much tech and cyber-space style as possible. While Nike was not alone in these ill-advised designs, they were alone in their missing of the mark with them. Another factor that hurt Nike’s performance in the basketball marketplace during this time was that seemingly every one of its competitors executed these designs better. Adidas had the tmac line, as well as the Adidas “Crazy 1.” Reebok had Allen Iverson, and most notable of that line were “The Question” and the “Answer 4.” Even AND1 had a significant moment with the “Tai Chi.” Throughout all this, there were remnants of what was in the 90s. The “Zoom Huarache” and the “Zoom Generation” still reflected what Nike was capable of. Tides began to change in 2008 when Nike unveiled the “Hyperdunk.” Propelled by the energy of the “Hyperdunk,” in 2009 Nike completely overhauled both the Lebron and Kobe lines with the release of the Lebron 7 and Kobe 4. As the decade turned and the 2010s arrived, Nike was once again off and running with the competition left breathing fumes. 

The 2010s is the pinnacle of Nike basketball. The growth that had begun in the waning years of the 2000s springboarded Nike basketball into a level it has never achieved in the course of its history. While the 1990s have a strong argument, the energy that percolated from Nike design labs and saturated the entire marketplace during the 2010s is unparalleled. One knock against this era is that there were not as many silhouettes offered as there were in the 1990s. In reality, this is a compliment to the 2010s. Throughout the 2010s Nike eclipsed what it accomplished in the 1990s, with only four major product lines. The Hyperdunk, KD, Kobe, and Lebron. What the 2010s lacked in volume it made up for in athlete representation, storytelling, and exclusivity. The 2010s perfectly married the same innovational design that the 90s architected with the streetwear culture birthed by Nike SB’s success with the dunk in the 2000s. Nike used its on-court products to tap into who its athletes were off the court, from “Dark Knight” Kobes, inspired by Kobe’s love of Batman, or the PB&J KDs which were inspired by Kevin Durant’s favorite snack Nike leaned into the totality of their athletes as people. This resonated with consumers. Not only was the product attractive but being able to identify in everyday ways with these larger-than-life superstars only further drew consumers to release day. Nike also brought exclusivity to its basketball releases during this time. Taking a page out of Nike SB’s playbook, Nike released special edition sneakers that coincided with different holidays or events, like the Lebron 8 “Big Bang,” Kobe 6 “Grinch” or KD 4 “Easter.” These releases are only examples of the myriad of releases that generated prodigious levels of hype. At Nike, hype means one thing, profits. 

From 2008 to 2015 every annual Nike financial report pointed to, discussed, or enumerated increased success within the basketball division.  The cultural role the product had taken on translated to yearly revenue spikes. Nike’s reports detail billion-dollar increases in basketball revenue. From 2013 to 2015, Nike basketball grew from an already staggering 2.6 billion dollars to an astronomical 3.7 billion dollar enterprise within the company. While earlier reports don’t provide specific figures, they still point to growth. In 2011, Nike’s report said “Revenues were higher on a currency-neutral basis in all key categories except Football (Soccer); the strongest growth came from Running, Men's Training, Sportswear, Basketball and Women's Training, which were all up at a double-digit rate…”  It is clear from this that in large part, Nike as a whole was experiencing growth, however, this does not take away from each individual division’s growth. As with a company as expansive as Nike, divisions are operated independently and success in one area does not equate to success across the board. One contributing factor to Nike’s success during this period was a return to its roots: marketing. Nike is arguably a marketing company just as much as an athletic equipment and apparel company. Ads like the Kobe Bryant Aston Martin Commercial, the Kobe Bryant - Different Animal and the Same Beast commercial, and the Lebron James Swimming Pool commercial all creatively and memorably marketed the product. These ads akin to the Mars Blackmon and Lil Penny commercials of the 90s helped drive not just the product but the culture surrounding it. By turning the shoes into icons with personalities that reached beyond sport Nike had the winning recipe. 

Between the years of 2008 and 2015, Nike won and won massively. Any world with sneakerheads wearing Lebron’s, Kobe’s, and KD’s with jeans is a world that every Nike employee would want to live in. During this eight-year stretch that was exactly the reality that Nike benefited from. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty and if it weren’t for the memories attached all photographic evidence would have been erased by now. Polos and jeans do not pair well with the basketball shoes of this era but that is exactly what sneakerheads did. This only speaks to the popularity of the shoes. From hoopers to sneakerheads everyone wanted to participate. With this stretch, Nike had once again planted its flag at the summit of the basketball marketplace. Nike’s willingness to see its product used for casual wear was an important factor in the brand’s success. Understanding that new opportunities made available by this consumer practice caused balance sheets to swell. However, this does not take away from the elite performance aspects of the products. Any debate regarding the best basketball shoes of all time will undoubtedly feature several silhouettes from this time period. Nike’s ability to blend form and function lended itself to some of the best products to ever exist in the marketplace. The precisely measured ratio of innovation, timelessness, and hype led Nike to recapture the basketball world, and subsequently sneaker culture.