Beaverton-based Nike turned heads this week with news it’s signed on model Bella Hadid as an official brand ambassador.
The news at first glance may seem par for the course if only because Adidas, Puma and Reebok already have signed various models and influencers to front their campaign. However, Nike has mostly kept top-tier influencers at arm’s length, choosing as it always has to invest most of its marketing dollars with athletes and sports teams.
When it has stepped outside of sport, Nike’s splashiest collaborations over the past two years have been with luxury label designers including Riccardo Tisci, Olivier Rousteing and Kim Jones.
In the meantime, Adidas and Puma got behind the athleisure trend by partnering with leading cultural icons and have cashed in big time, part of the reason, some say, Nike has lost its appeal among the space’s most ardent sneaker lovers.
While it’s not yet clear if Hadid will be anything more than a face of the brand, between this move, the big seeding push behind its Air Force 1 field boot, and its dominant presence at Complexcon, Nike is showing it’s getting back on its street level grind.
In a city where style is as essential as attitude, @BellaHadid’s undeniable reign is right at home on the world’s big stage. pic.twitter.com/hx6IKMBttQ
— Nike NYC (@NikeNYC) November 15, 2016
