In our last Wiki(Boot)Leaks exclusive on Nike, we revealed to the world that Nike will be renaming all of their various boot silos in an effort to avoid the competition set by adidas (click here if you missed out). Today, we’re revealing part II of Nike’s new plan to regain market control. And it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.
We all know that marketing plays a big part in the football boot market these days. Strikers want ‘The Perfect Strike’ and follow in the footsteps of Wayne Rooney, midfielders want to ‘Take Control’ and portray their idols in the form of Iniesta and Fabregas. It seems that for every position on the field, you have a certain selection of boots that are said to help you get the upper hand on your opposition. A winger yearns for acceleration and speed, and you have the Superfly and the adiZero to give you that extra bit of pace.
But most of the time, the professionals don’t go for the boot that seems logical for their position. Chicharito and Danny Wellbeck are strikers, yet they both opt for the soft k-leather upper of the Tiempo IV. Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany goes for the well built T90 Laser IV, likewise for the defensive midfielder John Obi Mikel. But Nike have let this pass most of the time, so as long as they have a few players from that represent the position on the field they are meant to, it’s okay.
Until now. Players (most of them) are given a choice of boots they can wear when they are contracted to Nike. But Nike, from around the start of Euro 2012, are expected to not let players have such a free reign. Eventually, the position you play will dictate the boot you wear. Each striker contracted to Nike will wear T90 Laser IVs. Each winger will wear the Mercurial Vapor VIII at Euro 2012, while each centre-midfielder and CAM will be spotted in CTR360 Maestris. And that leaves the Tiempo IV to the defenders. While we think goalkeepers will be given a free reign, each player will be told by Nike what to wear.
This is all a part of Nike’s new marketing plan. And you can actually see it taking shape now. Remember how Tevez used to be the headline player for the Tiempo range? Now centreback Gerard Pique is the face of the range. And did anyone notice in FIFA 12 how Chicharito (wearing Tiempo's in reality) and Balotelli ( he's a avid CTR 360 I man) are wearing T90 Laser IVs in the game, while each Nike contracted player at Man Utd is wearing Tiempo IVs? There’s one or two players who are wearing new boots that are meant to fit their position. Defenders Joloen Lescott and James Collins have now joined the growing number of defenders wearing the Tiempo IV range.
While it’s a gradual process, we think it’s where Nike want from their contracted players. Will every player give themselves up to Nike’s demands? We don’t think so, but there will definitely be more players wearing the boots that are meant to suit their position.
So what do we think about it? It’s bizarre, strange and a little bit thoughtless. No matter how well a boot is marketed, there is very little chance that a boot will help you out on game day. While I can sort of see where Nike are heading in terms of marketing, they would be better off leaving things as they are because the consumer isn’t that mindless that they’ll buy a pair of Vapor VIIIs just because they are a winger. We’re seriously hoping it doesn’t work out like this, because Nike could really shoot themselves in the foot by doing this. And it’ll be Ashley Cole holding the gun that shoots them too.
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