Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller talked with a runner for a sports agent about making a $100,000 payment for Deandre Ayton to play. Source: Report: Arizona coach Sean Miller discussed making payment for Deandre Ayton to play Last year when the FBI’s investigation into the pay to play scandal on high level prospects entering the…
I love retail. I enjoy walking into stores and discovering new products. I enjoy it even more when I walk into a store and I discover something attached the community. I want retail to survive especially sneaker retail, but I live in a city that doesn’t have a sneaker boutique. This means that I’m subjected…
I try to cram as much as possible into this 7 minute episode. First I have to ask everyone to take a minute to buy a copy of my new book, “Nike’s Consumer Direct Offense, Amazon & StockX: The Disruption of Sneaker Retail” on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2H3chRg In this episode I discuss that the entire response…
Within the agreement, Nike will provide on-field uniforms, baselayers and training apparel for all 30 MLB clubs. Source: Nike Enters 10-Year Partnership With Major League Baseball When Under Armour signed on to take over Major League Baseball I wrote about 4 articles explaining why it didn’t matter and why they shouldn’t take the time and…
This week I’m looking at two very different store openings. Nike took the time to open their very first door again. The original Nike store was a Blue Ribbon Sports Store operated by employee #1 Jeff Johnson: https://arch-usa.com/blue-ribbon-spor… Foot Locker is opening Power Stores that will be a sort of community based store that offers…
Blue Ribbon Sports, located at 3107 Pico Boulevard, is just one of Nike’s community-driven spaces across the world. Source: Runner’s Reprise: Nike’s Original Door Reopens in Santa Monica When I was establishing ARCH in 2009, I was wavering between trying to make basketball shoes again or making lifestyle shoes. The reality was I wasn’t coaching…
images via KITH, size?, Packer and brand websites Last year I created the standards below for my Top 40 Sneakers of 2017: 2017 Top Sneakers of the Year Qualifications based on M.A.P.P.S. Materials – Premium materials are important to me… very important. Aesthetics – the way the shoe looks, colorway, cut… some of the shoes that could…
Project + Exec is a new series where I’ve decided to seek out footwear executives who are minorities (Black, Latino, Indian, Native American, Asian men and women) who are doing some dope work, but are being overlooked by the larger media outlets. It’s my small part. I really hope you look more into the brands and…
In my ebook “How Nike’s CDO Shifted the Sneaker Retail Landscape and How Long Form Content Can Move E-Commerce Forward” I discuss that brands are attempting to reach their brand loyal fans directly. They are also attempting to bring new fans to their sites. This means that brands are no longer supporting retail outlets with in-store…
The last two Kyrie releases featured the advertising genius of Nike on full display. For the 3 we had a Questlove and Kyrie virtuoso performance to introduce the kicks. The 4 once again incorporated a musical fast paced classical and jazz inspired video. This year Kyrie is returning to the Celtics after they made a…
The Harlem-born entertainer and athlete draws from his time in LA and NYC to give fresh perspective to classic Nike silhouettes and graphics. Source: Sheck Wes Curates the Inaugural NYC Editions Collection I don’t know if it’s that I watched way too much Chappelle Show, but doesn’t the above pic of Sheck look like Dave…
Sources: https://www.adweek.com/digital/alibaba-rings-up-30-8-billion-on-singles-day-2018/ https://sg.news.yahoo.com/alibaba-singles-day-sales-hit-160330235.html A few weeks ago I made the statement that New Balance could be considered the third option when the sneaker industry talks about “The Big 3”. Once upon a time “The Big 3” meant adidas, Nike and Reebok. In the last ten years when people have mentioned “The Big 3” Under Armour had…
The Jerry Lorenzo Fear of God x Nike Collaboration has been a hot topic on sneaker blogs everywhere. The Under Armour x A$AP Rocky Collaboration has been talked about on sneaker blogs everywhere, but not in a similar fashion. Nike created an entire discussion on their own platform featuring an interview with Leo Chang and…
The Fenom Effect launches November 9 and features Abby Wambach, Chloe Kim and Maya Moore — all athletes who spark change on and off the field of play. Source: Nike Releases New Podcast Highlighting Brilliant Female Athletes I could easily make this post about the lack of WNBA ads throughout the year from Nike. I…
My new book is now available in both Paperback and Kindle. Here is the link for Paperback: https://amzn.to/2XafN24 Give it a look if you like ebooks: https://amzn.to/2X97PGA Source: In 2017 Nike held an Investor’s Day. That event changed the way the sneaker business operated with an official introduction to a strategy that I had…
Influencer marketing, I’ve discussed it continuously on this site in regard to entertainers, athletes and social media influencers working with sneaker companies. Brands take enormous chances in aligning themselves with influencers in the hope that someone can help them reach their target audience. Often those chances culminate in very little interaction and engagement, but because…
pic by @thwiz42 on Twitter One of the primary issues with the relaunch of a brand happening as hype vs a well thought out procedure is these moments always take place. Since July DeAndre Ayton has been wearing Nike footwear while Puma creates a custom pair for his size 18 foot. The issue has been…
A star-studded line-up of Nike track and field athletes walked Virgil Abloh’s Paris runway show and debuted a series of new running-led products. Source: Nike and Virgil Abloh Debut New Track and Field-Inspired Designs in Paris Instead of starting this paragraph with an anecdote or a reference to introduce the topic to you, I’m going…
It’s never advisable to try and take on a giant at the height of its powers. The goal is to chip away at the giant via small attacks. Nike pulled off one of the biggest ad campaigns in history with the launch of Just Do It on the back of Colin Kaepernick’s protest. This…
A look back at the top performances and footwear from the Seattle Storm forward in 2018. (via Nike) This post is something I intended to do throughout the season, but I sell sneakers for a living and do analysis of the footwear and apparel industry. Which means I don’t get to have a lot of…
Surviving sneaker retail in Memphis is a difficult task. I’m discussing a local store in this post, but I will use the name “Store A” in this post. (5-7 minute read) pic via StockX How long should a retail sneaker shop enforce purchasing policies on products that are perceived to be “hyped” or “hot” releases?…
WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes’ was the first woman to get a signature Nike basketball shoe. Her second model returns August 17. Source: The Air Swoopes II Returns According to Forbes, “[T]he WNBA has seen a 36 percent increase in viewership in adults age 18 to 49, a 29 percent jump in men in that age…
