The Female American Market.
In the United States, women form 51.1% of the nation’s population. Women are the core of society, and as such, they shape how society perceives things. Women, for a very long time, have used shoes and still use shoes as a fashion statement. With the advent of high heels, women used them as a show of status in society. If one can purchase a particular make and model of a high heel shoe, then they are considered to belong to a specific class. The need for identity and acceptance to a particular class in society drove women and still drives women to buy high heel shoes. Despite the glamour and prestige that come with these shoes, there is the issue of pain and discomfort that follow (Borigini, 2012).
With the improvement in health services such as diagnosis, treatment methods, new medicines and techniques, people can live longer. The use of birth control and family planning has also led to the drop in the world fertility rate from 4.98 births in 1960 to 2.47 births per woman in 2015. Consequently, the world will see a rise in the number of the older generation than the younger generation. The change in demography implies that companies such as Nike need to major footwear that suite and older generation. Most people with advanced age suffer from foot pain, diabetic foot ailments and other underlying foot-related diseases. The need for comfort and ease of movement in shoes is likely to increase (World Footwear, 2015).
The youth
Young people are highly susceptible to peer pressure. The urge to be identified with a particular group of people or a particular trend is rife among the youth. During their adolescent period, they spend most of their time with their peers. Their cognitive control system is guided by the group they are associating. The urge to be cool increases considerably in this group of society. The level of peer pressure is equally distributed between male and female adolescent (Albert, Chein, & Steinberg, 2013).
Athletes.
Most of track and field athletes come from Africa. Africa is one of the poorest continents on earth. Kenya, the home of Eliud Kipchoge who wore the Nike Vapourfly and ran a marathon below two hours, registered an average of $3,440 per capita income in 2018. The country is rich with athletes who form a considerable part of Nike’s track and field section of athletes. The distribution of athletes based on gender in this part of the world is almost at per but still suffers from the same economic disparities in other parts of the world (Thompson & Coughlin, 2008). The use of technology in Africa has improved over the years, but it is not yet at the level of other countries such as the United States and the European Union (The World Bank, 2020).
Social media use is widespread. 79% of women own a smartphone and have access to the Internet. Women also have an 80% likelihood of using social media compared to their male counterparts. When it comes to youth between 18-29 years, 96% own a smartphone. For youth between 30-49 years, 92% own a smartphone and have Internet connectivity and access to social media (Pew Research Center, 2019). The widespread availability of smartphones and the use of social media makes it the best method to communicate with this group of people.
With the high use of social media, most opinion leaders have shifted from normal celebrities to internet celebrities. Vloggers and bloggers are now dictating trends and fashion statements. A good example is Margot vs Lily YouTube channel, which has high views hence becoming an excellent tool to communicate with people who are using social media.
In developing nations, opinion leaders have not changed. The internet penetration in African countries remain low, and people heavily rely on television advertisements. Athletes in these nations are no exception. The best way to reach them is through television and newspaper adverts. The use of billboards will also play a massive role in increasing awareness in markets that Nike has not penetrated.
Goal
The goal of this campaign is to increase the sale of Nike shoes and apparel in the American market. It also aims to increase sales in India, China, and Brazil while maintaining its athlete base. It also intends to handle the threat of counterfeit product that threatens to ruin Nike’s reputation.
Objective
In the first six months, Nike intends to improve the sales of sports shoes to women to 40%. The success of the campaign will be measured on the premise of the number of new clients, the number of return customers, and the complaints from clients.
In the next three IAAF approved marathons, Nike intends to have its athletes use all their gadgets included the wearable technology to assess the gadgets’ performance and the athletes’ review regarding the devices. This will enable Nike to make the necessary adjustment for future use.
This campaign intends to reduce the cost of their apparel and shoes to make it affordable to people in developing nations. Considering the expense incurred in developing shoes such as Vapourfly, the campaign intends to increase their sales so that they can make a profit.
The campaign aims at producing a standard material guide for the consumer in the next year to ensure the consumer understand the difference between an original Nike product and a counterfeit. This measure will help curtail the counterfeiting practice that is taking place primarily in Asian countries. The material guide will also include the best product to use, especially for women and the vulnerable members of society.
Lastly, in the next five years, the campaign aims to streamline the supply chain method ensuring all Nike products are readily available all over the world and at a lower price since the target market is people who suffer severe economic hardships or economic disparities.