Nike Case
Paper instructions:

1. Apparently there are two market segments of consumers for many product forms of athletic shoes: those who use the shoes to engage in the designated athletic activity and those who primarily use the shoes for casual wear and seldom engage in the athletic activity.

Discuss the differences between these two segments in means-end chains, especially end goals, needs and values for running, basketball, aerobics, or tennis shoes.
What types of special difficulties does a marketer face in promoting its products to two market segments of consumers who use the product in very different ways?

2. Recently, Nike has been trying to lower its environmental impact by reducing waste and use of toxic materials. In your opinion, what are Nike’s ethical responsibilities in this situation?

3. Nike has expanded its product line well beyond the original running shoes. It now includes models for virtually every type of sport or physical activity. Visit the Nike web site (www.nike.com) for a complete listing of the models it sells. Moreover, Nike continually introduces new models; on average, Nike introduces a new shoe style every day of the year. Discuss the pros and cons of this continual churn of new attributes and new products. How do you think consumers react to this?

4. Discuss Nike’s typical advertising strategy in terms of the types of means-end connections it creates in consumers. Bring in an example of a current Nike ad to analyze and draw out the meaning connections you believe this ad is likely to create in a consumer.

5. Not everyone finds athletic shoes highly involving, but some people do. For example, kids who are into shoes often talk in staggering detail about the characteristics and benefits of the currently popular models. Identify some intrinsic and situational sources of involvement for athletic shoes, and describe some of the likely means-end chains for the most involved consumers. Discuss how Nike’s advertising strategies might differ in marketing a shoe to highly involved and moderately involved consumers.