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Business Development
Nike Expands Dialogue with Women
New programs reflect Women's Lives, Motivations to be Active
 BEAVERTON, ORE.
Over the past year, Jackie Thomas, Clare Hamill, and some of their
colleagues at Nike have been doing a lot of listening to women. They have listened to women speak on diverse subjects like time and balance, complex lives, shopping and what
moves them to participate in sports and fitness activities. This week, Thomas, Nike US women's marketing director, and Hamill, vice president, women's, are unveiling the first efforts reflecting what they heard.
"We recognize that for some time now women have been making sports and fitness their own," said Hamill. "Aerobics were
about taking dance, something many women love, into the gym. Booms in home exercise videos and in walking are about how
to include fitness in our busy lives and bring some balance. As a sports and fitness company, we need to look at sports and fitness as part of the 24-hour day women live and help them find ways to create the balance they seek.
"That also means broadening the discussion of sports and fitness," said Hamill. "We want to find the everyday woman in elite
athletes and the athlete in the everyday woman. Women live what our founder, Bill Bowerman, once said, 'If you have a body, you're an athlete.'
"That doesn't mean we will stop working with top women athletes - we'll be adding the stories of women who won't ever make it
into the sports pages. And we will show how those top athletes struggle with the same things every woman does - how to find some balance in our busy, hectic lives.
"For our product offering, that means creating innovative performance athletic gear that works for women, giving them benefits
or solutions they need. It's gear that allows women to feel comfortable meeting friends at the park, at the gym, or at the coffee
shop. Our goal is function and beauty combined, products that are designed for movement. "
"Where we're going is incredibly exciting," said Hamill continued . "Where we're going, women are leading the charge, and it
impacts the overall brand. After all, women make 80% of purchasing decisions for athletic apparel."
As a catalyst, several programs have been in the works that reflect where women are now. Consumers will have multiple
opportunities to respond and let Nike know what they want. In the months ahead, look for a new emphasis on recognizing and sharing this modern-women's dynamic, propelled by several major programs. They are:
* Advertising: New print and television advertising, taking a different look at women and sports and featuring everyday women,
will break on February 5, 2001, just two days before National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The ads will attempt to make an
emotional connection, much like what the company has done in the past. "We'll use our television advertising for what it is
intended to do: to develop an emotional connection and awareness. We'll talk with people, not at them," said Jackie Thomas, US women's marketing director
*www.nikegoddess.com: A website for women set to launch in late January. This site will ask what moves women, whether
it's trying a new sport or giving back to her community. It offers profiles of both famous athletes and everyday women who are
meeting the challenges of balancing their hectic lives. You'll find city profiles to help find fitness and fun when you're on the road, and links to Nike.com/ NikeTown for women's performance footwear, apparel and equipment.
*New products: Nike's philosophy of designing for movement is reflected in performance apparel that not only turns heads, but
delivers innovative materials and performance features. That includes product lines like seamless apparel that helps avoid
chafing and rubbing along seam lines, for the feeling of wearing air. Or a collection of performance running and training apparel
that keeps women comfortable while they work out. In footwear, Nike unveils an entirely new look for women's athletic footwear
in the first slingback cross trainers. They scream summer, fashion and flair. Yet both perform the way a Nike cross-trainer
should. And Nike's Techlab products bring electronic function to a portable, sports-friendly design, like the PSA[Play 120 digital audio player, that brings your music with you in a beautiful, lightweight package.
*Nike Goddess magazine, a quarterly custom publication geared to today's active woman, launches in February. It will be
available at NikeTowns, Finish Line and Nordstrom stores nationwide, and will be sent to select subscribers of Sports
Illustrated for Women, In Style and Teen People. The publication will showcase Nike women's products but also will provide
information of interest to active women, on topics like giving New Year's resolutions year-round reality, a guide to hotel spas and gyms for travelers, and tips on running with your dog.
*Nike at Retail: By observing and learning more, Nike will create destinations for women to shop the way that they like to
shop. NikeTown Chicago's recent renovation included a floor redesigned to make shopping easier and more comfortable for
women. Even simple changes like the window treatments and in-store materials at NikeTown can help. In fact, sales at
NikeTowns have increased 46% in women's this month after the first of the new look materials went up in store. Watch for more of this kind of retail development in the months ahead.
Nike Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon, creates authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for sports and
fitness enthusiasts. For additional information about Nike, its products and business practices, visit nike.com and nikebiz.com
on the Internet. News media also can register on nikebiz.com for access to a password-protected Web site that contains time-sensitive, long-lead information.
[Source: Kathryn Reith, Nike Communications, One Bowerman Drive, Beaverton, OR 97005, 503/671-6472, 503-708-9058
mobile, 503/671-6339 fax For more information, see nike.com, nikebiz.com and
nikemedia.com.]
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