CODES OF GREATNESS
CATEGORY FOOTWEAR LEADER: NIKE SPORTSWEAR – OCTOBER 08 - JUNE 11
“Do we have enough integration between NSW and Sports Performance at good level”? Without this integration can we really say we are “Great at Good”? “How quickly can we move to be great at good”?
These questions were asked by the CEO at a review of Sports Performance and NSW footwear in 2008. His frustration was justified. Siloed and many times competing creation engines were creating amazing products. Unfortunately there was little or no connective thread or story between these products that were presented together at retail.
As Category Footwear Leader of Nike Sportswear, my team was given the responsibility of answering the questions. And delivering the strategic answer in 90 days with product 90 days after that. Without question one of the highest profile and all consuming fire drills of my career. The results were Codes of Greatness.
CODES OF GREATNESS
CODE 01: Uniquely Nike
INSPIRATION: Air Force 1
CODE 02: Iconic Color + Palette
INSPIRATION: Air Max 90
CODE 03: Iconic Color + Palette
INSPIRATION: Air Max 95
CODE 04: Iconic Form and Pattern
INSPIRATION: Air Jordan IV
CODE 05: Iconic Materials + Details
INSPIRATION: Air Max Trainer 1
CODE 06: Lasting Cultural Legacy
INSPIRATION: Air Force 1
STRATEGY + RESULTS
A Simple Insight: “Through 38 years of working with the greatest athletes and teams and a relentless commitment to innovation, Nike footwear has an extra-ordinary cultural impact on the world of
sports and sports style”.
A Simple Hypothesis: We are uniquely positioned to inspire a new generation of style savvy athletes by connecting them to this culturally rich Nike footprint.
A Simple Method: Be inspired by a key assortment of our most culturally rich and iconic shoes. Selected key cultural attributes of these amazing legacies: Color…materials….design details…craft and interpret these cultural attributes as Codes of Greatness.
Codes of Greatness. Infuse the Codes of Greatness into our most innovative and expressive products under $75.
The Result: The team created a strong narrative and a new product point of view which was executively well received and in the first season generated an incremental $102M.
Perhaps more importantly a light was shone on the need for greater integration between Nike Performance and Nike Sportswear. Codes of Greatness lasted for three seasons before being integrated into the Category Offense. Codes of Greatness was all-consuming and exhausting.