The Nike Chronicles -- Part One: Innovation

Spending a day recently at Nike's corporate campus in Beaverton, Oregon has me thinking about three distinct topics.  Innovation, corporate culture, and the future of advertising.  Yes, the trio overlaps a bit but each deserves its own perusal.

Innovation may be the most overused word in corporate America today.  Steve Jobs and Apple are the icons but Nike deserves its own spotlight here.  We need to remember that the company was co-founded by a track coach pouring polyurethane into his wife's waffle iron to produce a new sole for his runners.  A few hours spent at Nike's research lab confirmed that the same innovative flame is burning bright there. 

The common DNA thread that runs through Apple and Nike is the commitment to developing products that are concept- and design-driven as opposed to necessarily market-driven.  Innovation on steroids requires almost a blind faith that the consumer will be attracted to a great product once it actually exists.  "Classic" market research that tries to predict and define demand would pretty much be scoffed at in Beaverton.  Build a better mouse trap, they would say, and watch the market beat a path to your door.

Is it easier for a world class brand to pull off this not so common trick?  Probably not.  Most brands of that stature tend to play defense, building castles and moats that give a false sense of invincibility.  Nike has consciously chosen to keep living on the edge for forty years now, consistently putting out new stuff that the market didn't necessarily ask for, but went bananas once that same stuff hit the shelves.

The only logical explanation for this repeated phenomenon is that Apple, Nike and precious few others have made "innovation" and their respective brands synonomous.  When you hear/think the word "Nike", you expect (and accept) innovation in athletic footwear and clothing.  So the best part of this trick isn't the attempt per se, it's the almost flawless execution that really impresses.  Which also may be the reason why so many companies never get serious about innovation in the first place.  Yes, it's risky and yes, you can fail.

Nike's answer?  Just do it.