Much Ado About Signature Shoes

Who gets a signature shoe? How does it happen? and Why does it take so long?
Let’s answer some of the most common questions in the business.
In my last role as the Nike Basketball Brand Director for North America, it was a hot topic. And since I left two years ago, it’s only gotten more crowded and the discussion more heated.
Add the rise of women’s sports, Caitlin Clark’s reported deal and we get a lot of people asking “Why doesn’t A’ja Wilson have a signature shoe?”

The Signature Shoe crown is an imperfect science factoring many market forces: Timing, Team, Talent, Demand, Discourse & Distribution.
Let’s examine the many angles of this business…

Talent:
Let’s start with Talent, since most people root the discussion in that.
“If A’ja Wilson is the best player in the WNBA, why doesn’t she have a signature shoe?”
Talent is one element, but there are many other factors.
Performance on court, Charisma, Social Following (huge factor for all marketing decisions), your skill on the basketball court, the audience it reaches, college alumni, hometown, visibility off the court and several listed below.
Many, myself included-even before I left Nike Basketball, would say A’ja checks enough of these boxes.
But, there is an old adage that “big men don’t sell shoes”. The same may be said for women, but time will tell.
People often connect with ball dominant guards and athletes who can shoot: the ones who end up on highlight reels & trending on social media.
Athletes like Steph Curry, Sabrina and Caitlin Clark tap deep into the “underdog” instinct. They make consumers feel like they could achieve the same thing.
Sometimes, athletes who dominate with physical stature are not quite as relatable because people don’t see themselves walking in the shoes of giants.
But, there is a factor that is often bigger than any of these…

Timing:
Women’s sports has been on a steady rise, but it has grown exponentially in the last 3 months. Caitlin Clark’s effect has been the gasoline poured on a simmering bonfire that was laid by many before her.
Many factors affect Timing. What does our signature roster look like? Where are our budgets? Did we just sign someone else? Is a bigger athlete’s contract about to be up? Are people asking for more basketball shoes right now? Arew we able to service the athlete we already have? But the one most people don’t understand…

Making a signature shoe is a long and challenging process. Sketching, designing, gathering a dedicated team, getting specific time with busy athletes, pulling a real story & inspiration, trying to do anything unique, sampling from overseas, global shipping, re-sampling, getting athlete feedback, allowing them real time to play in the shoe, gathering design team feedback, executive team feedback, retailers & consumers feedback…it's a lot. This doesn't happen overnight. It's 18-24 months.

One more challenge: the average WNBA career is 3.5-5yrs. A'ja is entering her 7th season.

Team:
Lebron, KD, Ja, Giannis, Book, Sabrina…that’s just Nike’s list of Signature athletes.
Anthony Edwards, Harden, Mitchell, Dame.
Melo, Scoot, Stewey.

The [men's] signature shoe game is out of control.
Basketball sales AND style are in decline, yet there are more stars than ever with the rise of social media and the leagues visibility. Every athlete now grows up with signature aspirations and they'll go to the company who gives them a signature…
So, you either cave to the demand or lose them to a competitor.
Do we really think Devin Booker, Scoot Henderson, Embiid all deserve signature shoes?
More on that…

Demand:
"The Consumer Decides" is a Maxim at Nike. Consumers are actually the people who buy, not the people who tweet.
There's a never ending balance btw historic sales data and present or future market forces. Teams try to decipher the signals, but human beings have erred on the side of the past, which is not always a predictor of the future.

Discourse:
The world has changed a lot in the last 3-4 years. Women's sports, racial equity, the global economy, the rise of athleisure and small startup brands like Moolah Kicks (a women's only basketball shoe) have all made for a very different world in sports marketing.
On the first two points, Nike has inserted themselves squarely in that conversation, so there is a strong demand for them to support female athletes, but especially black athletes in a league that is 60% black. This is at the heart of why there’s so much demand on Nike to support A’ja.

Distribution:
Closely related to Demand is Distribution. Managing the market is hard. Brands like Nike are constantly having to work with retailers like Foot Locker, Finish Line, Dick's Sporting Goods…etc. There is only so much shelf space. How many signature basketball shoes can they take while balancing trends, lifestyle, running…etc.
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There are all your ingredients.
Now, you get to make the Signature Stew…er, Shoe.
A common theme you will hear from this Marketer: this game is an inexact combination of art & science, supply & demand, sentiment & sales.
Welcome.

With the success of the Sabrina 1, the meteoric rise of the women's game and the subsequent growth of the pie, I would expect to see a signature shoe for A'ja. Caitlin's won't be ready for another 18 months to 2 years.
But, A'ja's time is now.

And if it's not?
A’ja will be just fine.
She’s got her faith, her book, her platform…and she’ll have plenty of other suitors waiting to give the people what they want.  
 
Education + Resources:
If you made it through all that, you might be obsessed enough to want a job in this business. If you or someone you know, does. How to Land a Dream Job in Sports Marketing is always available. $97 will give you my 15 years of specific career wisdom.
or visit howtogetajobatnike.com for a bunch of free resources too.

Blessings:

Reebok had me weeping this weekend.
On 4/20, they did a film to support the Last Prisoner’s Project whose mission is to set free anyone incarcerated due to a now, mostly legalized, marijuana.
Our criminal justice system is punitive & overcrowded enough. It’s time to right the missteps of the past and show some compassion.
I’ve long been a supporter of Last Prisoner’s Project and you could too.
Be blessed.

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If you enjoyed any of this, let me know. I’m here to serve.