Nice post about Nike’s brand confusion from Doane Paper Blog. This post asks a very smart question of why Nike would choose to cannibalize an already credible brand? Credibility is not only leveraged through influencers but also from how the company is positioned. I don’t have much to add to this one, it is pretty much covered in the post. Thanks Doane Paper Blog:
From: Doane Paper Blog
I still can’t understand why Nike would create a broad “action sport” brand like 6.0 when it already has an established “action sport” brand in Nike SB (short for skateboarding)? Why would you position the two brands so close together? Why does 6.0 sponsor a skateboarder instead of that skateboarder being on Nike SB? What has made Nike SB such a success is that it’s a premium product that’s marketed to an exclusive demographic (skateboarders). Even though Nike SB is marketed to an exclusive demographic doesn’t mean that only that demographic is buying the product. I would wager that at least 60% of Nike SB sales were landing on the feet of non-skaters or other action sport participants. The only reason why Nike 6.0 has had some initial success is because it’s currently feeding off the established credibility of Nike SB. The two lines now look completely interchangeable, it’s difficult to tell the difference between a Nike SB shoe vs. a 6.0 shoe. In the near future its my prediction that skaters will turn on Nike SB because the SB line cannot be differentiated from the broader marketed 6.0 line. If the SB line dies then the “parasite” brand 6.0 has no brand credibility to feed on and will also expire.
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This is such a relevant topic I am starting a new posting category called “Brand Confusion” please contribute when you find brands that seem confused out there. Email me (jennifer@credibilitybranding.com) with what you find, and what you think.
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