Avinash Pant, Marketing Director, Nike India Pvt. Ltd., says innovations and inspiration for the consumer form the pillar for every Nike India initiative, and that digital has helped the brand reach the target group more effectively
Q] With the upcoming T20, IPL and Fifa World Cup, what kind of marketing initiatives can we expect from Nike in the coming quarter?
In relation to the running community, there will be a lot of action connected with the TCS World MK coming up in Bangalore. The big cricket season is actually happening right now and you would see us connecting with people in this space. Our ‘Make every yard count’ campaign is on air, already talking to the young cricket enthusiasts of the country who follow the game and push themselves to do better with the ultimate dream of wearing the blue jersey. Also, there is the big football season coming up, and again Nike has been doing incredible innovations in the game with some of the best athletes in the world. In India also, we are doing our bit and we sponsor the Indian football team. The next few months are going to be quite action-packed.
Q] The brand recently introduced a new uniform for Team India for this cricket season and shares a long relationship with the BCCI. How does this initiative take the brand positioning forward?
From our early days at Nike, we have been clear that we are totally going to be involved in cricket. Hence our partnership with the BCCI, working to provide innovations in the area of apparel, and being apparel sponsor of the Indian cricket team. We have seen great response regarding the new uniform we launched a short while ago – from the perspective of the players and the fans. Whether it is a key cricketing moment or the work we are doing with the team, or through products we offer like the jersey, national team kit and cricket shoes – we reach out to the team and the consumer at the elite level. We are working from the grass roots level all the way to the BCCI.
Q] What are the fundamental principles of your marketing strategy? What does your marketing mix look like?
Nike is highly energized about all the work being done in India and the phenomenal response since the brand started operations here. We are a youth brand and are focused on them, and from that perspective want to be where the youth is. Digital, therefore, becomes an extremely important and strong medium for us. The media mix would vary from campaign to campaign. We also use outdoor, depending on the initiative. And depending on the sporting moment you would also see us on television. We are obsessed about our consumer – to understand them, follow them and have very meaningful conversations with them. That is the foundation pillar of our marketing. All our work is geared to help them get better. For example, the Manchester United Premier Cup in the football arena, which we have conducted from the last nine years, acts as a platform for young football enthusiasts to follow their dreams to a global level.
Q] Nike Air Max completes 27 years. What marketing initiatives have been planned around the occasion and the concept of the running community you have online and otherwise? How has the sports/running culture evolved in India?
It’s an exciting time for us as Air Max completes 27 years. It is an absolute icon for us, and like all things at Nike, is rooted in performance. The idea of an airbag inside a shoe has been one of the most revolutionary things that we have done in terms of technology. Over time, the shoe has become a sportswear and cultural icon around the world. We are doing a lot to bring the story of Air Max to life, in terms of talking about what has been done over the years, our collaboration with various artistes and designers, etc. When we talk about running and our running page and community on Facebook, we engage with and are constantly especially for specific running events. For example the TCS World MK, which is a big racing event that we partner with, is coming up in Bangalore. We will be helping runners prepare and get better and faster – both from the perspective of advice we can give them, and the incredible innovations in the running space that we have to offer – be it the Flyknit technology, or the Air Max. There is a lot happening in that space. We find great engagement with our community through very focused and engaging conversations.
Q] Digital forms a huge part of Nike’s communication strategy. How are you looking at it going ahead?
Digital is very important for the quality of interaction, apart from the numbers it helps us reach, which have been very strong. We have done various activities across our Facebook pages for running, cricket and football; launch of the national cricket team jersey in India being most recent. This initiative was done for the first time in the digital space. We allowed our fans to unlock the whole picture, one pixel at a time. Over 5,000 people participated, which shows just how important the medium is and how engaging and meaningful the conversations are. Digital helps us in getting high engagement and drives incredible conversations. We recently had a big running moment in Mumbai and made sure we engaged the people of the city on our running page and community through our Nike Run Club – helping them train and perform better. We had a campaign, ‘We Run Mumbai’, which focused on taking local insights and bringing them to life for the runners in Mumbai, as they prepare for the event.
Q] How do you manage presence marketing for Nike across different online shopping portals?
We are focused on the consumer and we go wherever the consumer is going. The online shopping space offers a big opportunity and has become as important as physical stores for us. We also have partnerships in the online space like shop-in-shop at Jabong and Myntra. We have seen great traction in terms of figures and want to offer consumers the best, no matter where they are.
Q] Nike has been associated with a lot of celebrity sports stars. How well do you think our youth connects with these brand ambassadors?
We like to bring inspiration in everything we do, which is where the concept of brand ambassadors comes into play. We have been associated with players in the Indian cricket and football teams. Ambassadors play a role in bringing inspiration to young sports enthusiasts and we have worked with some of the very best athletes in the world, and aim to keep doing so.
Q] What is the USP of brand Nike in relation to competition in the sports shoes/sports lifestyle wear category?
Our philosophy is innovation and inspiration and that helps us stand out. The response we get from players and sport enthusiasts helps us completely focus on implementing it. We help athletes get better with the products we design, and we put a lot of focus into minute details.
Q] What are the growth drivers for Nike in the Indian market?
India is a great market for Nike, and you see athletes across the length and breadth of the country. If you go by sheer demographics, obviously the bigger cities have a larger chunk of audience and customers. But we target the youth of the entire country in our communication.
Q] What are the emerging consumer trends in the sporting domain in India?
Cricket is the defining passion for us in India, but we definitely see football coming up in a big way. Running has also grown in the country as a culture and lifestyle choice. Running events are happening everywhere you look. We also see a trend of sportswear and lifestyle products and aim to be a large part of it.
Q] With mobile as a fast growing medium, how successful is the Nike iPhone and Android app?
We have seen great success with the Nike running app, and it has got amazing customer feedback. It is an incredible idea, as it helps the user with statistics and details about their run, helps them train better and track performance. The coaching features are literally like having a personal coach.
CMO FILE
Avinash Pant joined Nike India Pvt. Ltd in 2012. As Marketing Director, he oversees marketing operations. Before this, he was Executive Director - Marketing, at Walt Disney. Pant has over 15 years of experience across various roles in marketing and building brands. Before his stint with Disney, he was Director - Marketing, Still Beverages, Coca-Cola. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a PGDM, Marketing from IIM, Ahmedabad.
MARKETING TIP
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ABOUT THE BRAND
Nike India Pvt. Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Nike Inc., the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., and Hurley International LLC. Nike India is headquartered at Bangalore.
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