Nike
The Future of Athlete-to-Fan Relationships
Project: Insights + Strategy
Locations: USA
Timeline: 2022-2023
Context:
Nike has been a leader in recognizing and supporting excellence, determination, and innovation in athletes throughout the world for over 50 years.
As the landscape of what it means to be a great athlete shifts and transforms, Nike was looking to develop their brand plans for seven of their top athletes’ by better understanding how fans discover, perceive, and champion their favorite athletes. So they asked…
How has the fan relationship with iconic athletes evolved over time?
What we did:
Over the course of 8 weeks, we journey began with in-depth conversations with fans ranging from Gen Alpha to millennials and athlete management teams, delving into the personal and professional realms of athletes. Qualitative research enriched our understanding, uncovering stories, aspirations, and challenges fans experienced when trying to conncet with athletes. We complemented this depth with quantitative analysis, capturing trends and patterns across 12 distinct markets.
The Apertus // What We Uncovered:
Fans desire to see themselves in their heroes and idols while also looking up to them for motivation. With different forms of technology at their disposal, athletes have a greater opportunity to connect with their fans and show their fans the process in being the “best.”
The most iconic athletes used to be those at the top of the leaderboards. But sport has become a complicated, cultural industry in which fan recognition is now garnered by means beyond performance statistics. It requires brands to consider a plethora of metrics; cultural caché, activism, relevancy, character, style and entertainment value when deciding who to dedicate fandom to — it’s the talent & the person.
The result? “Athlete Dimensions” — a framework to strategically think about the different aspects of global athletes, how they show up in the world, and what to consider when positioning them as they evolve in their career and stardom.