Nike Getting Edgy
Posted By: Alethia, 21 July 2011
Nike was once the brand of choice for rebellious urban youth. While youths haven’t exactly abandoned the brand, it’s become a lot more inclusive in recent years, and less edgy. The website currently stresses the brand’s genuine sporting credentials too, and has sections for all, including children. So, what do we make of this window display in New York? Is Nike trying to return to edgy rebellion? Or, are we all rebels now?
We spotted this just off 5th Avenue in Manhattan, not in the Bronx or Harlem. This branch of Niketown is opposite Yves St Laurent and Miu Miu. Whatever its aim, another campaign springs to mind from a few years ago, when French Connection first created the FCUK campaign, and then actually rebranded FCUK. In the short term, this did wonders for brand salience, but the joke soon tired, and ultimately was seen as damaging the brand. Let’s hope Nike don’t make the same mistake.
About Aletheia
Aletheia is Truth's commentator on the things we find interesting. She was the Greek goddess of truth. But her meaning is more subtle than just "facts". In philosophy, Aletheia represents how the world is disclosed, or opened up; how human beings understand things, as part of a background of meaning gained from culture, society, and our perceptions of the world around us; and how this changes as the world changes. This is what Truth is all about.