Project + Exec | Why Drew L. Greer Is The Most Important Analyst In The Sneaker Business

Without dwelling on the depth of experience from Nike, the goal of my Project + Exec series is to discuss the current path of individuals. Drew L. Greer came to my attention long before I discovered the incredible native content he was sharing free of charge via LinkedIn. In 2004-05 I was running one of the biggest basketball recruitment websites in the country. Before I launched my sneaker company Sho-Shot I reached out to several executives of larger brands. One of those people was Drew Greer. At the time I didn’t get a chance to work with him as his basketball work had led him to international waters. I had never spoken with Drew or worked with him. In the last year as I realized the need to tell the industry about people of color who were the perfect solutions to many of the problems sportswear companies are encountering, I discovered a series named

11 Reasons Why… on LinkedIn by Drew L. Greer

The storytelling and analysis Drew was creating was gaining engagement that saw posts getting thousands of views and likes. This is not to be taken lightly. The only people who post and garner the type of feedback and results the 11 Reasons posts were getting are ‘famous’ people. What struck me as odd is that he was delivering the content without consideration of pay and without any ulterior motives. He simply wanted to educate. The reason I chose him for this Project + Exec is because he hasn’t mentioned once his newly established consulting firm. This is important. The news industry in the sneaker industry is failing to build a complete analysis of the business.

A quick google of sneaker industry articles using the keywords “sneaker industry analyst” returns a result laden with the same company and person. News outlets are defaulting to a data driven source of information that tells one story. That story is hindered because as I’ve written here on this site many footwear companies and business aren’t failing or falling short because they lack data. They are falling short because they lack data + an understanding of why the consumer is responding as they are. In this video on LinkedIn, which has been viewed over 16,000 times, he discusses a point that I’ve been trying to make about companies utilizing the same industry analyst’s information, data is not the key to success in marketing.

In the brief video above Greer is seen discussing the Air Force 1. In the video he speaks about how and why sneaker culture became a business without really saying it. Sneaker culture has its roots in Hip-Hop and basketball. Nike and adidas became daily wear because of the kids in the hood rocking the shoes and changing the status quo from Sebago to Superstars and Air Force 1s and Jordans. This happened because Nike made a decision to revive shoes from their vault in the late 90s and create region specific items. As the World Wide Web began allowing people to interact in different parts of the country, sneaker culture was born as guys in DC traded kicks with guys in NYC. This doesn’t happen if the Sportswear division isn’t headed by Drew L. Greer. It probably would have happened, but it would have taken longer.

The video above is short, and it doesn’t state that sneaker companies have their own data and they understand how to target, but what most companies lack is the emotional narrative that drives a product from being on the page to in the closets of enthusiasts and regular people. As the sneaker industry and the journalists who cover the industry continue to gravitate towards one person they are overlooking smaller firms with the ability to not only breakdown data, but to build engagement. Drew L. Greer should be much more prominent in the search of analysts, but it isn’t happening and that’s a damn shame.

BUT

That’s changing. Like I wrote earlier, I only write a Project + Exec when I see a company or person who is on the verge of a breakthrough. The person has to be tackling a problem that offers considerable solutions. With that said here are My Reasons why Drew L. Greer Is the Most Important Analyst In the Sneaker Business:

1. 1. 1. Availability and Accessibility – Anyone can create a profile on LinkedIn. If you can create a profile and if you are thoughtful in your approach, Drew will respond to questions you might have about branding. While he is paid (very well) for providing this information to businesses he’s taken on the responsibility of building a better understanding of why the sneaker industry, and brand building, works as it does.
      2. A brand like Nike understands that without a foundation prospects for the future are built on sand instead of concrete. Drew was at the foundation of the most powerful category of the most powerful sportswear company in the world: Sportswear. Currently Nike is dominating because they have been at the forefront of athleisure since Drew’s time in building Nike Sportswear. That base makes Drew’s consulting firm a potential Wieden + Kennedy agency. When you consider that the most important aspect of the sneaker industry right now is not data telling us what happened last year, but narratives to reach the most diverse buying market in history, what’s more important: the top 10 shoes sold last year or the Equality Campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick? Drew tells those stories. (As evidence see Drew’s free post on LinkedIn on How Georgetown Changed the Sneaker Industry)
      3. It’s not just the sneaker industry. Drew has worked with Ralph Lauren and ONE Distribution (Supra & KR3W). His work there informs his ability to merge brand building with data to generate the platform needed to deliver results.
      4. The insight into why brands fail – A few days ago I made a prediction that Under Armour would fall. I hadn’t written Drew Greer about this. I had spent Thursday analyzing the Investor’s Day for Under Armour. I knew Drew had worked at Under Armour for a moment and I planned to reach out to him on his insight into the brand. I knew that he attempted to prevent the “Curry Dad” shoe incident, but he was blocked by the C-Suite execs at Under Armour. In preparation for writing this post and doing an end of the year analysis on Under Armour I was going to reach out and then I saw this explosive post on LinkedIn this morning: 11 Reasons Why Under Armour’s House Is On Fire. If you didn’t click through, I chose to complete this Project + Exec which has been sitting for about a week after seeing the last sentence on the UA post above.

In Drew’s copy on Under Armour’s House being on fire he writes, “Propaganda: Acquiring Tech Companies without Understanding, Leadership and an Agenda.” A year ago I raised a question about why Wall Street and Analysts were overlooking Under Armour’s acquisitions in tech as considerable reason for worry.

Under Armour Layoffs and Why Connected Fitness Was a Mistake | 2nd Quarter 2017

In Under Armour’s Investor’s Day 2018 the company once again doubled down on their Connected Fitness division. The same division they have laid off considerable employees. Drew Greer’s post is from an insider. Someone who walked the halls of the company and attempted to bring some of the flavor and relevance he gave to Nike. I’ve been writing about Under Armour’s shortcomings and here in one post everything I’ve been saying was summed up in 11 reasons by a person WHO WAS ON THE INSIDE! Of course my feeling of validation was a partial reason for writing this Project + Exec, but how is it possible that journalists and businesses aren’t beating down the door of a brand builder who lived this:

Discussions with Phil Knight about DMX’s orator skills. Meetings with Kobe, Lebron, and Chad Mudska. Learning the contrast of global culture in my journey to places like Mainland China, Croatia, Tokyo, Taiwan, Milano, Paris, London and most recently Cuba. Watching Iverson cross MJ over live. Witnessing Bobbito Footworks pioneer and UnDefeated beg for access. Presenting to Wall Street and providing tours of the Nike World Campus to DJ Clark Kent before it was cool. Attending zest Indian and Puerto Rican Day Parades, and watching line-reviews with Ralph Lauren himself. Hearing from a German’s mouth that Berlin hasn’t been the same since the wall dropped. Pulling into Baltimore to join the Under Armour executive team during the heat of the Baltimore riots.

How could I not write this Project + Exec? Take a moment to add Drew L. Greer if you are on LinkedIn. If you aren’t on LinkedIn take a moment to browse the category of 11 Reasons Why. You can thank me later.