Nike Interview
Disrupting the Marketplace: How Nike Continues to Push the Envelope by DeVonte’ Martin, USPTA Public Relations Coordinator
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isten to the voice of the athlete. When you can understand Along with figuring out consumer’s needs, the design team the product needs and the wants of the athlete, then you also is finding ways to enhance the Nike product development will be able to sell the product to the consumer and create process. Currently, Nike launches four times a year and is demand. This has been one of the philosophies of Nike Inc. working towards pushing out product faster to the marketplace. from its earliest years. To get a better sense of the current “Here at Nike, we make bold statements,” said Ediger. “We do retail marketplace, a team of five Nike employees; Matthew not follow the trend. We like to set the trend and we can only do Bond, Melissa Ediger, Liz Fifer, Lisa Gangelhoff and Drew that by getting closer to market.” Thurston conducted two focus groups at the USPTA National One of the bold creations that Nike put forth already this Headquarters in mid-February. year in tennis was the pink and grey “We had a couple of objectives. outfits that both their endorsed male With some of the recent changes and female professionals wore at the that have occurred at Nike, there 2018 Australian Open. When asked are a few of us that have new roles. about the feedback from the pink Thus, we wanted to really start outfits, Bond said it has been positive. to get an understanding of what’s “The pink design was a dramatic happening in the marketplace,” and innovative statement and we are said Matthew Bond, global always going to do things that are marketplace director of Nike kind of provocative,” Bond said. “I go Tennis. “The other objective was back to 2012 London Olympics when to talk to consumers who actually we came out with the Volt shoe. That wear the product and understand color was on every Nike athlete at what they like and dislike about the Olympics. That color became the apparel.” so iconic, people knew it was Nike. The age group Nike focused That’s kind of the same thing we did on was 15-21 years of age who with the Australian Open.” has an interest in or plays From the designs to the color USPTA CEO John Embree with Liz Fifer, Melissa Ediger, Drew tennis. The feedback they schemes Nike places in the Thurston, Lisa Gangelhoff and Matthew Bond of Nike. received from participants will marketplace, their overall message help the team to develop apparel lines in the near future. One is that they want to transcend the sport of tennis and are of the takeaways from their meetings is the way polos will be committed to delivering thrilling product driven through the designed moving forward. voice of the athlete and the consumer. “The polo is super important. It is iconic to the tennis look,” “You see athletes like Rafa, Roger and Serena that said Lisa Gangelhoff, global merchandising manager. “A big transcend the sport of tennis. They also transcend the sport question for us now is how do we take feedback from these from a Nike brand perspective,” Gangelhoff said. “It’s super young consumers on the overall design and fit and make a important for consumers to understand that tennis is a part polo this demographic likes? Our product has to be relevant of our overall brand.” to the consumer.” Along with our partnership with Fromuth Tennis, the USPTA The Nike team works globally so when they introduce is looking forward to growing our relationship with Nike, Inc. product into the marketplace, they must consider what is “To have an endorsement agreement with the clear market fashionable to the consumer in all geographical locations. leader in athlete performance apparel and footwear through “Nike has a global consumer that we’re addressing and our the best customer service organization in the industry product line needs to meet the needs of regional preferences (Fromuth Tennis) speaks volumes about the reputation that with respect to such things as fit and style,” said Melissa Ediger, the USPTA has in the sport.” USPTA CEO John Embree said. product manager for women’s tennis. “We look forward to seeing what the future has in store.” *
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