Nike’s core problem is that in chasing a new audience and embracing social activism, it has lost the competitive, aspirational identity and storytelling that made the brand culturally powerful in the first place.
23 replies (most recent on top)
Next?
“Chaos”. Sold their soul to unscrupulous vendors attempting short term gain. Multi Billion $ consumer goods companies run on processes & systems that are defined, documented, relatively simple, focus on Customers, and are ‘owned’ (folks are responsible & accountable). In Tech the philosophy is throw bodies at stuff, start coding, will get requirements later. Results are totally predictable —- total freakin’ chaos. Lack of ‘quality’, everywhere and in all things is the disease. Throwing inexperienced, unqualified, and the unwilling to do anything but the status quo at it —- will not turn things around.
I don't think words could do Nike justice, so instead, I've prepared a 15 slide "one pager" powerpoint deck with 3 words per slide and lots of aspirational athlete images on it that describe in depth the feelings I have about the state of Nike and I have outlined in this summary.
INCOMPETENT
hsoows
Dumpster fire wrapped in burning garbage with the rats jumping out to save themselves.
I’d say that’s a pretty accurate sentence.
One sentence to describe Nikes current state: Go woke, go broke.
Uninspiring
Toxic
This is one of my favorite quotes: ”Republicans buy sneakers, too.”[1]
[1] ”Republicans buy sneakers, too”. Wikipedia. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republicans_buy_sneakers,_too
@b1 what does this have to do with the fact that people aren’t buying the shoes anymore? Or that we’re spending a lot more to make a dollar than we did five years ago.?
None of those factors are impacted by where investors invest. Those are all internal decision-making.
Win Never
From “Just Do It” to
“Can’t Do It”
Soulless
Ugly and outmoded: people, products, and performance.
Woke
Dead
Nike is going from “Just Do It” to “Just Done”
SNAFU
inept
Institutional investors took their money out of the sportswear Goliath that is Nike and put it into REAL growth companies in the AI sector (and probably, now, defense and energy sectors given the current state of affairs in Iran), yet Nike employs a bunch of bird-brained d-mba55es who blame it all on “wokeness.”
Anti-woke crowd got political power and cratered the economy for Nike's primary demographic yet still blame everything bad that happens on woke because they are weak minded.
No, more like having too many people actually believing and touting and spouting off about, "aspirational identity and storytelling" is what's driven this brand into the ground.
Woke is DONE.
No one cares about BLM or PCism or "aspirational identity" or "storytelling" any more.
Know why?
Because it's a bunch of BOOOOOOOOOOOOL SHEEEEEEEEEET.
Straight up.
So here's a thought: stop BSing, and start actually CREATING.
Come up with something new, somthing truly innovative, something that people can genuinely relate to and want to have.
Shoveling more manure onto the sh!tpile, and then wondering why it still stinks is just DUH-UM.
But hey, keep doing it because JUST DO IT!