Taking a stand

As the only rigorous assessment of how future proof the world’s 100 most prominent companies are, we ask an informed global public for their views on brands they are both aware of and know something about.

Our research, carried out earlier this year, placed Nike 9^th in the Index overall indicating a future proofed company, very capable of connecting everyday product and service experiences with a wider sense of purpose.

Across the world, people report being prepared to not only buy products and services from Nike but pay more for them than their competitors when they do.

The only concerns that we notice that could impact the company in the future are dips in the brand’s ‘authenticity’ and ‘innovation’ perceptions, and possibly also its wider sense of ‘story’ and ‘personality’.

Regardless of how you view the recent campaign, which fits with Nike’s past use of its marketing to highlight a range of issues, it perhaps re-establishes how Nike sees its purpose in the world and it is entirely possible that as a result these dipping attributes could build again along with others where they are already strong, such as ‘individuality’ and ‘mission’.

Brands that take strong purpose positions and then back them up with consistent experiences typically create deeper human connections. In some instances, such as this one, these can be both positive and negative. While not sacrificing everything, Nike has certainly opened up on an issue that they must now demonstrate they fully believe in.