Originally Posted by
MarshallHiroshi
Dear Nike, Nike Employees, Michael Jordan and Phil Knight,
I am represent the average person here on NKETLK. I am deeply saddened that you did not produce more Air Jordan XI's for people like myself.
I am the average person who cannot afford a day off work to camp out, and am intimidated to deal with the mall rush all by myself. The alternative would be to pay 350 dollars from a secondary market, but to be quite honest, I have a hard time shelling out that type of money for a shoe that I would wear twice a year.
Over the years, being a shoe collector has made me a tad bitter.
It was not always like this, I used to be the person who bought one shoe a month, until it got to the point where I realized that all the shoes I really wanted, were incredibly difficult to get.
Or, perhaps just as bad, they were easy to get but with lower quality. I do understand that your job is to make money, and you do that with incredibly savvy marketing strategies, such as releasing Jordans in lower quantities to create a nationwide buzz. But here is the deal, a person gets into the shoe game because they are able to get their hands on their most beloved shoes (XI, IV, V, VI, XIII, XVI, XX) which thereby infects them like a virus. Soon obsessed with everything Nike, whether it be Cole Hann dress shoes, or baby jordan's for their friend's kids, or a matching hoodies, hats, shirts, sunglasses and socks. Heck, they might even buy an all white Jordan, just because they needed an all white shoe, when they could have easily bought an air force one, or dare I even say, a pair of Sketchers.
What I am saying is this, there are ways for Nike to make money, while making their fans happier, while making Nike even more money. Here are things that need to be addressed.
1) Don't make Jordans, Dunks so exclusive. The shoes should sell out in 24-48 hours, not 2.4 to 4.8 minutes. I feel that Nike/Jordan wants to position itself household brand name which is synonymous, with cutting edge technology, innovation, and style. Nike does not want to position itself as only a shoe company. But lets make it quite clear, that nike will for generations, promote it brand through it shoes. So, if you make the shoes so incredibly difficult to get, then how will a loyal customer have a willingness to buy a nike backpack , when a very nice swiss army backpack is sold at costo.
2) Innovation is overrated! Please do not make it a policy to keep changing styles over and over. The reason why classics (music, cars, air max 95, air max 2009, foamposites) are so difficult to top is because they are so good to begin with. I do understand that you need to change over time, but you can create a sustainable business model just from, dunk sbs, white air force ones, nike cortez,, air jordan i, iii, iv, v, vi, xi, xiii, xiv, air max, 1, burst, 90, 95 2009, black air force max, penny I, II. I am not saying that you should not innovate, it am just saying that you should know that it is your staples that make up your brand.
3) Please do not cheat us on quality. If you need to raise prices, please raise prices and pass on this particular cost (in proportionate amount) to us sneakerheads. We will gladly pay for the higher quality, and we will do it with a smile. You can test us and take it to the bank.
4) If you have a hard time gauging demand, then accept prepayments. You can have us do a down payment or a deposit a year in advance. In the mean time, you can make money on the money we fronted.
5) If you wanted to create a buzz, you can do it in less obtrusive ways than creating a nationwide madhouse. I think it would be awesome if Nike created a lottery system for the back to the future shoes. You can sell 1 ticket for a dollar, and for every 300 tickets sold, one shoe will be made and delivered! Now that would be so awesome. The winners would be so happy, and the losers would be happy just to play the game! Or, What if Nike were to give us a gift card for sneaker heads willing to help out at a charity event? I think this is the win win scenario that Nike should be thinking of.
I do not want to stand on my soapbox too long, so I just want to say that you ask us to be loyal to you, Nike, but we ask that you be loyal to us. I offered to you only some of my ideas in how you can do that, and I would love to hear back from you. Nothing would make me happier than to receive a response from you.
Thank you so much for reading,
Marshall
this email/letter gets deleted faster than the Concords selling out. Nice attempt though.
Or, perhaps just as bad, they were easy to get but with lower quality. I do understand that your job is to make money, and you do that with incredibly savvy marketing strategies, such as releasing Jordans in lower quantities to create a nationwide buzz. But here is the deal, a person gets into the shoe game because they are able to get their hands on their most beloved shoes (XI, IV, V, VI, XIII, XVI, XX) which thereby infects them like a virus. Soon obsessed with everything Nike, whether it be Cole Hann dress shoes, or baby jordan's for their friend's kids, or a matching hoodies, hats, shirts, sunglasses and socks. Heck, they might even buy an all white Jordan, just because they needed an all white shoe, when they could have easily bought an air force one, or dare I even say, a pair of Sketchers.
. a lotta clowns won't take responsibility for misinformation, much respect for owning up to it. RESTOCKS are a crapshoot and usually happen when we least expect it, and sell out faster than lightning! Good luck to those trying to get their first pair from a restock.merry Xmas, happy chanukah, happy kwanzaa-wishin u all, good health and happiness!2012: cement IV, Jordan 12s, columbias, XI patent lows...JB keeps takin my money
