With WNBA playoff fever in full swing, I had to get In the Field to check out Nike’s Sabrina Ionescu launch at their five-story SoHo store. Ionescu, one of the game’s most promising players, presents a massive opportunity for the brand. I was curious to check out Nike’s creative strategy for this key launch.
Check out the video highlights:
The products:
The launch presents two basketball sneakers, the Sabrina 1 “Spark” and the Sabrina 1 “Ionic”. Both shoes are well-designed and easy on the eyes, but the Spark’s unique colorway (Oxygen Purple/Lemon Chiffon/Ice Peach/Black) caught my attention.
According to Nike, these sneakers were inclusively designed for a wide audience. “For Every Hooper – Every hooper can play their craftiest in the Sabrina 1. Designed by Sabrina Ionescu with data from thousands of athletes to bring elite comfort, traction and stability, this shoe is one for all.”
Along with footwear, the product line includes a range of apparel branded with Sabrina’s “S.I.” logo Nike developed for the athlete. Modern and minimal, the sleek line includes tees, hoodies, Dri-FIT shirts, socks and shorts for women and men.
The store experience:
The Sabrina launch covered the entire ground level of Nike’s massive SoHo store. The bold campaign messaging was impossible to ignore. A standout display at the store’s entrance showcased a diverse range of basketball players, underscoring the line’s commitment to “all hoopers.” This inclusivity was further highlighted by featuring a wheelchair basketball player and a gender-inclusive presentation of products on mannequins. All campaign imagery focused solely on Sabrina, however.
On the top floor, you can road test the Sabrina 1’s on an actual basketball court. This court previously existed at the store, but was rebranded for the Sabrina launch, complete with instructional videos guiding you through various “drills” to test out the kicks.
The campaign:
Sabrina’s Laws of the Game campaign made a splash with an integrated media mix including TV ads, TikTok and Instagram content. The fresh campaign uses the tagline “Crafted to do it all” as an ode to the versatility of Sabrina and her new sneakers.
Conclusion:
Sabrina’s takeover of Nike’s SoHo store underscores the rise of women’s sports and the strategic moves by major brands to capitalize on this momentum in the form of campaigns and product development. However, category leaders still have a lot of ground to cover in order to achieve an offering truly representative of the talent that drives the WNBA on and off the court, as outlined last week in an article on the lack of diversity in signature sneakers, the only signature sneakers assigned to WNBA players are all for White women. Reigning league MVP A’Ja Wilson has a Player Edition Cosmic Unity but has yet to see a signature shoe or campaign of this magnitude from Nike.
Early Sales Data:
Nike Basketball always comes out of the gate hot. The Sabrina 1 Ionic has been a solid performer, but there is a caveat. The larger sizes have a better sell through on third-party marketplaces, providing some evidence that men will definitely buy a women’s signature hoops shoe. The design of the Sabrina takes on an ongoing design theme in Nike Basketball, Kobe Inspired design. This has made sneakers like the GT Cut 1 extremely popular in resale, but the less Kobe-Like GT Cut 2 has stumbled. The GT Cut 1 and 2 ring up at $170.00, but the second iteration of the model has seen slower sell through. The redesign of the model was a mistake, but Nike always feels the need to completely update as opposed to slightly improve. There is a larger discussion here and it’s evident in the Luka 1 (which sold incredibly well at $110, not selling very well at $120 with a massive redesign).
Predictions for Sabrina 1
In previous discussions on arch about the “sweet spot” for Nike Basketball pricing, the $130 dollar SRP for the Sabrina puts it above the arch average of sales for Nike Basketball signature sneakers. Nike Basketball’s sweet spot is $110-120. The Sabrina 1’s average bid on StockX is $110.25 which can be accepted at any point. A patient seller can attain an average of $162.00 dollars a pair for the Ionic when all sizes are included. The Spark’s resale value is less. eBay has an average resale of $190.48 on the Sabrina 1. When digging deeper into the details Sizes 5 through 7.5 hardly have any sales in third-party. Sales begin to hit double digits at Size 8, and they explode at women’s size 12/men’s 10.5. The Spark has fewer sales, but Nike hasn’t been the marketing genius it once was. In the past, Nike would deliver more content for each sneaker drop. Lately, after the initial push Nike tends to rely on brand and the SNKRs app failing to carry messaging into brand account physical retail. The lack of content and marketing (outside of SNRKs) has seen the Ja 1, Luka 2, KD 16 and other Nike models slow considerably when other colors release. The prediction for the Sabrina is that it will spike when the high school and college seasons begin, but if Nike doesn’t deliver extended sizes, the Sabrina could end up promotional if the Swoosh doesn’t continue to connect with younger athletes.
