Visual Culture at NikeTown

6 questions (things I’m curious about)

  1. What is Margot vs Lily? I’m very unclear on that. I also don’t really understand how this marketing campaign weaves into all their other marketing campaigns
  2. Do people honestly believe that athletes choose to wear nike instead of being paid to wear Nike? A majority of Nike marketing involves using the images of various sports players. People really seem to be influenced by this sort of marketing.
  3. One sign in the store read “The Power of One.” It really felt like a joke to me. Not denying that the individual has power, but Nike as a huge brand is not promoting the power of one. They insinuate that when you use their products, you’re part of this collective of “Nike power” A place occupied by many popular and successful athletes. This isn’t exactly a question. I guess my question upon seeing the sign was “What?”
  4. Does Nike want to perpetuate the culture of sneakers as a luxury item or a collectible? While enforcing this ideology throughout the store, especially through products incased in glass and other flashy displays, they would be able to charge more for sneakers. However, when the shoes are seen as something precious people are less likely to wear them out.
  5. How much say do athletes get in their Nike ad campaigns? One display in the store (incased in a glass box, like  museum exhibit) showed the shoes Lebron James wore in 3 different years of his career. Did he choose those particular shoes? Can a consumer determine that those shoes are superior because they were backed by a professional? or were those shoes chosen by Nike execs somewhere?
  6. Nike promotes something other than their brand. How does this help them and hurt them?

 

5 Questions (What if?)

  1. What if Nike was not an athletic wear company? They promote an ideology of fitness and competition, but would they be able to support that so fully if they were selling different products?I think that this business model seems very specific to the sportswear brand. If Nike was promoting a different product and a different lifestyle, I don’t think it would be as accepted.
  2. What if someone built a huge 4 story store selling unbranded sportswear? It would be considered boring and excessive. Nike is more popular for the ideas they promote than their actual products.
  3. What if Niketown was in a different city? Minor cosmetic changes would have to occur (pictures of new york city locations are all over) but I don’t think this store would be as popular or seem as appropriate in a city that doesn’t turn things up to 11. What other city has an entire giant store dedicated to M&Ms? I just googled it and apparently theres also one in las Vegas.
  4. What if the employees weren’t so charismatic? I think business would suffer. They upbeat, peppy, sometimes annoying Niketown employees are promoting the Nike “vision” to everyone who enters.
  5. What if nike was a high fashion brand? This type of store would probably seem much more appropriate to me. However, I don’t know if it would be as successful. Without the ideology to promote, the brand might not have much to back up their products.

Photos

 

IMG_7109 IMG_7108 IMG_7102 IMG_7106

 

not like you, but pretty cool

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