Source: SLOW DOWN FAST: ADIDAS & JAMES HARDEN CREATE SPACE WITH HARDEN VOL. 3
As adidas prepares to launch the third model in the reigning MVPs line, Nike is also preparing for their NBA launch with their signature models from LeBron arriving and the KD 11 launched during the summer. There is an interesting approach to the basketball season for both brands. Neither brand placed a lot of energy into the promotion of basketball signature shoes last season although they released a combined 100+ different colorways of their signature basketball shoes.
Nike Basketball relied heavily on the NBA to carry the weight of their releases. They did utilize digital in the LeBron Watch series to shine a light on the various styles launched for James. adidas didn’t really market Harden, Lillard or Rose at all. I thought this was a gigantic mistake by the brand as the marketing spend on Harden in an MVP season would have created an opportunity in sport which still influences casual wear; especially with a fashion forward athlete like James Harden.
The new Harden Vol. 3 arrives and the brand utilized understated black and white photos. The imagery isn’t vivid or striking and even in color the shoe feels like it will fall short. There isn’t anything exciting here:
What’s even more problematic for this drop from adidas is that in many ways it recalls sneakers from one of adidas’ more controversial athletes in the Gil TS Lightswitch and Gil Zero:
The design of the Harden 3 obviously is a development of the Harden line, but the design here seems to be directly influenced by retro adidas basketball shoes without any marketing that supports it. In other words the problem isn’t the design or the shoe, it’s that the brand hasn’t done any storytelling to support this next release for an MVP. There is a reason Nike is performing and growing the way they are. The brand understands that fashion drives the footwear industry right now, but they have made a conscious decision to tie fashion into sport and this benefits them as they get the opportunity to utilize performance innovation in driving interest in the brand.
Which is why I’m juxtaposing adidas’ Harden Vol. 3 launch with what Nike is currently doing. Nike just released the LeBron 16 and a new Kobe A.D. Those shoes are not the focus of Nike’s current campaign for basketball. Nike is pulling an adidas and using counterculture sport to connect two distinctly different sports in support of their performance signature lines… confusing?
Nike is launching a Nike SB x NBA line and there couldn’t be two more seemingly different interests. I use the word seemingly different because everyone knows Nike SB was born from Nike Basketball footwear models, the Dunk and Blazer. Take a look at the promotional images of adidas’ Harden release above and take a look at the promo of Nike’s NBA x SB project featuring Eric Koston and P Rod:
There is a master class in marketing imagery being done by Nike. The product isn’t as important as the story conveyed.
Source: https://news.nike.com/apparel/nike-sb-x-nba-collection
Releasing signature shoes doesn’t convert buyers as quickly as it once did. Footwear is extremely diverse and buyers are a lot more knowledgeable about the product. To grab the buyer’s attention the story that is being told in relation to the NBA has to be about more than just the athlete. adidas got this in 2016 and through some parts of 2017, but somewhere along the way the focus shifted and seems to have been left with the creative marketing of the World Cup. Nike just keeps rolling along.