A Few Questions for Nike 6.0 Brand Director Bas Renard
rob campbell
- August 11 2008
- 37 comments
I recently had the chance to go up to Portland for Nike 6.0’s “Migration” event. In the interest of full disclosure, I admit to touring the Nike campus, shopping in the employee store, hanging out with athletes, wakesurfing, drinking for free, going to art shows, playing broomball, and taking a top-shelf booze cruise of the riverfront. No doubt all these perks can be seen as serious threats to editorial integrity. But I tried to spit out the Kool-Aid long enough to present 6.0 brand director Bas Renard with a few legitimate questions. Here’s the result:
Nike employees gather on campus for “Thirst Thursday,” when different divisions give demonstrations of their sports. Not many other sports involve trucking in a bunch of snow.
NIKE 6.0 TIMELINE
June 2005: Nike 6.0 category (footwear & apparel collection) drops in the U.S. (4 years after SB) and signs first athlete, snowboarder Ben Watts.
July 2006: Nike 6.0 holds it’s first Migration event with 12 athletes from the US.
Jan 2007: First X-games medal from freeski athlete Sammy Carlson. Snowboarder Trevor Jacob becomes the youngest competitor to ever make the finals at the U.S Open.
June 2007: First magazine cover, BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester.
July 2008: Nat Young wins NSSA national title.
July 2008: Nike 6.0 hosts it’s third Migration with 47 athletes from around the globe, and 18 global media. To date, Nike 6.0 has six X Games medals, 11 magazine covers.
What are the advantages/challenges of positioning a brand like 6.0, when Nike already has SB in the market? How do you plan to maintain a legitimate “action sports” brand without a skate element?
Nike 6.0 and Nike SB target two completely different consumers. Nike SB is 100% core skateboarding. Nike 6.0 is much more inclusive, broader, and more lifestyle driven. Nike SB’s pinnacle position has helped 6.0 tremendously. Without SB’s commitment to core Skateboarding, 6.0 would have never been successful or even existed. The distribution channels are strategically different, creating a viable synergy in the marketplace. The 2 brands are now very complementary, with 6.0 providing more accessibility to a broader consumer.
What’s an example of how you’ve been able to leverage being part of a company like Nike to your advantage? When has it been a disadvantage?
Nike is committed to innovation and has dedicated incredible resources to develop the best products for the world’s top athletes. SB and 6.0 have access to these resources, including research and testing facilities that have helped solve durability, flexibility or lightweight issues for skateboarding and BMX. Nike has top design and product teams, who are focused on action sport specific technologies and advances to improve performance.
Another huge bonus for us is our ability to plug our action sports athletes into larger Nike media and PR opportunities alongside the biggest names in Basketball, Golf or Soccer. For example, Mike Spinner and Garrett Reynolds are both part of a Just Do It TV spot launching for the Olympic games. Nigel Sylvester has an opportunity to fly to China to be part of an amazing BMX art show (lightning Bolts) around a global PR launch for the Olympics, with over 800 global media attendees. Ellery Hollingsworth has been plugged into the Women’s Fitness category, garnering broader exposure.
Disadvantage? Probably the fact that the bigger you are the slower you move… Luckily for us, we’re still very small compared to the other traditional Nike categories.
Recently you were one of only three brands reintroduced to PacSun. Did they give a specific reason for choosing you? Has this whole experience made you change your distribution strategy at all? Has it made you expand your presence at the specialty retail level?
The specialty retailers have always been a priority for 6.0. We’re expanding our reach with more reps and elevating our support and commitment to these doors regardless of the PacsSun situation. Our presence at Pacsun obviously has to do with the consumers reaction to 6.0 and our sell thru history with them, also probably their choice on investing in the key brands which they see being around for a while.
Brand director Bas Renard and global sports marketing director Curtis Graham play broomball with their team during Migration.
What is the main goal of “Migration?”
Migration is like our annual family reunion. It’s the one time a year everyone sets aside a week to spend time with each other. There are two components to Migration, the athletes and the media. For the athletes, it is a chance for them to learn from each other, and share experiences, as a cohesive team. This generation of athletes is different from their predecessors, finding common ground and embracing the various sports. For instance, the snowboard team will visit the surfers in CA in the summer, and when anyone is traveling through NY, they’ll give Nigel a call to chill.
For the brand, it is invaluable to have the team together to talk about product, advertising, and to hear honest and collective feedback on how we can support them best. The athletes have very definitive opinions that truly guide the brand. Without them we wouldn’t exist. It is also our chance to show them our appreciation by showing them a good time.
On the media side, it is a chance for vertical media to meet the athletes and the people behind the brand, and get an insiders view of Nike 6.0. We try to integrate the media with the athletes so they experience firsthand the energy and “family” presence our team has. Again, it is a chance for us to gain insight into what’s working, what we can do better, and how we can evolve our working relationships.
After seeing the 6.0 team together, it’s obvious that you’ve got that whole “grom power” movement going on. Is there an age cap on the team members themselves? I’m wondering if it might be like that old Latin boy band Menudo, where once they hit 15 they’re off the team.
Ha. None of that with 6.0. The best analogy is soccer. When Nike made the commitment to get in the soccer market back in 1994, Adidas had been the leader for years. Nike didn’t try to convince the old Adi consumers, they connected with the youth, the young talent who would shake the old guard. Look at where they are today. 6.0 is similar, and the brand will continue to evolve with the athletes. In just two years, the “groms” have 6 x games medals, a few national titles, and 11 magazine covers.
6.0 represents the next generation of action sports athletes, across 6 different sports (Surf/snow/ski/Wake/BMX/Moto), a group of athletes who are culturally different than the generation who built action sports as we know it today. The 6.0 generation have support from their families, communities, and agents. A more organized, accessible and professional environment exists, giving them the tools to change the rules and take action sports to a much bigger scale. The evolution of our athletes and action sports is happening so fast, the next few years are going to be incredible.
Curtis Graham takes the mike to introduce some of his team to other Nike employees and their families.
What are some of the additional challenges of working with such young athletes? How do you handle the responsibility and liability when dealing with such young kids?
We feel pretty strongly that working with younger team riders presents us with far more opportunities than it does challenges. All of our riders are fully committed to progressing in their sport. They change the game every day, inventing new tricks and pushing the limits of what people thought was possible the day before. And they do it all with a level of enthusiasm that inspires everyone they cross paths with. In return for their dedication, commitment and success, we make a strong effort to treat our riders like the true professionals they are…regardless of age.
More photos from Nike 6.0 Migration 2008:
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August 11th, 2008 at 9:52 am
With a Nike Marketing Budget anything is possible; and easy! Must be nice.
August 11th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Nike SB..what a joke.. I cant wait for skate shopt to break out the girls soft ball shorts and jock straps.
August 11th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I hear SB has dominant market share and exclusive specialty shop distribution. Someone’s going to have to explain the joke to me.
August 11th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
just the same ole response from the old guard of skateboarding…
just dis it & bitch with no insight into how and why.
it’s sad when someone comes in and kicks your ass you can’t appreciate, regroup and figure out how to kick it back.
and the sad thing is, i work for an old guard shoe co.
August 11th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
All they’ve done with 6.0 is make a brand that is broader by design by including all aspects of action sports without all the B.S. attitude a lot of brands relish on heaping on consumers by being “core”… Nike 6.0 also benefited from the learnings from the early NikeSB mistakes that they made when they 1st came into the market and they totally came out of the blocks with a ad campaign that looked like nothing else in the pages of the magazines which piqued people’s interest. So yeah, they nailed it with this brand. Hard to hate on people doing it right….
August 11th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
6.0 saw that there was an opportunity for a grom shoe brand, the others brands like etnies, dvs, vans etc target to teens and above. as the grom generation grows older, 6.0 will mature, so in 5-10 years watch out! i agree, those first ads were amazing- cartoon drawings, fluro ink - perfect for the grom market who spend their parents money every weekend
August 12th, 2008 at 7:26 am
better design, better athletes, better ads, better integrated marketing - designer /artist lines & films & online media, better websites, better team management, better product, in better shops, with better distribution, better and more wide-reaching press and hype… this is why nike dominates. better fucking recognize and take notes.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:32 am
nike has said that it takes the same approach to every sport: know and understand this sport and its participants better than any other brand in the world knows it and them. Even if u hate em its hard to not respect that.
August 12th, 2008 at 10:05 am
If Nike SB is 100% skateboarding, how do they explain the Nike SB logo on snowboarding boots and Nike SB on the BMX Olympian’s uniforms?
August 12th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Handing a popular 16 year old skateboarder a check for a mil. isn’t “knowing” skateboarding. It’s “buying” skateboarding.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:15 am
baby-son works for Nike. Or he wishes he did.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:26 am
It’s easy to make money when you have money. Nike tried to make it in skateboarding–the first time–by throwing that money at huge advertising agencies and budgets. They got owned.
The second time they give P-Rod a HUGE paycheck to say that he actually likes Nike “this time” and they go “core” only and buy their credibility from the top down.
Then what’s next? Oh… kids! “Let’s grow our own consumers for SB by starting them young!” Bastien knows that other guys were doing this long before 6.0… they just weren’t backed by a bloated $14billion company.
Look mom, I made my first million. Thanks for that $100 million loan!
August 12th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
THESE COMPANIES KEEP SELLING OUT. KEEP OUR SPORT CORE NO POSERS. KEEP IT CORE!
August 12th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Its called gettin Sold!
August 12th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Hate the game dont hate the player..LOL
August 12th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
You said it…give me their marketing budget and I would come up with sick ass shit too. Its not that hard when you got the bucks to toss around. Vans on the other have the cash too…but I think if they keep focusing on their heritage, Well its getting about ass old as the brand.
August 12th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
LOL…Well you know what happens to cores they rot in the garbage can. If it wasnt for posers the whole ASI would not exist, and the people who are core would not be able to live the life they are living. Its a dirty relationshit.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
completely wrong. p rod was phase two.
nike got the respect because they went out and hooked up the guys who were original, the “skater’s skater”
supa, luda crooks, todd jordan, reese, shimzu, b anderson & gino.
shop guys. the elders backed em cause they were backing who they liked. they started supporting because nike got it while everyone else was chasing bam and all that shit. footwear design became dominated by smus from ccs, pac sun and the unique look of skate became waterdowned.
p rod came in and soldified the program to the next level of consumer- the wannabe- in phase two of their assault.
adidas is making the same team moves now to appeal to the influential shop guy. converse is next. all the while skate footwear brands are chasing wakeboard, moto and surf. sad reality.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Nike had to go grom because my generation rejected it for the jock company it is. these groms are letting them in. its their call.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
baby son has a mouth full of nike. he may have a point because most people can be bought.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
oh yeah nike doesn’t do SMU’s for those retailer?????
August 13th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
All this “core talk” reminds me of that old NOFX song…actually no, I think its a Guttermouth song!!
Anyways, I agree with old guard, as a designer in the industry myself, its all about PRODUCT. Good, looking functional product, at varying price points so everyone can afford em’(thats where the smu’s come in) bottom line. It is a business, even at the core level. The industry as a whole needs to move product to survive. If someone like Nike wants to move in and take a stab at making a dope skate shoe, and it sells well keeping your local “core” skate shop afloat so be it. It might raise the bar a bit for an industry that seems to be stuck in a lull as to what the future holds, someone needs to come in and mix it up a bit. Either way, they got us all talking, it seems their marketing is working wouldnt you say.
August 14th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Nike is in the core business now because there’s money there, what will happen when the core stops to give money to this brand? will continue to support skateboarding and surfing?
August 14th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
if that’s true then right on. i rejected them too- haven’t worn nikes since i stopped running in the 80’s. if they look to the youth, what’s wrong with that- seems to have worked for volcom, no?
August 15th, 2008 at 7:08 am
I dont care if kooks buy our products. it allows me to live the sweet life i have. just please dont let them work in the industry. i hope all HR managers read this!
August 15th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Bottom line is that poser non endemic multi multi billion dollar brands like Nike and Hollister don’t and never will “get it” and that the core kids who live our lifestyle and skate, surf, and snowboard know this. Let the midwestern kooks who’ve never seen the beach continue to shop and buy those brands. It’s what will keep real brands with core boardsports beginnings as the real deal. Kids aren’t all stupid and they know the difference between a Volcom or Fallen and some lame ass mall brand like Hollister/Abercrombie.
August 15th, 2008 at 8:34 am
What is it the NikeSB doesn’t get? Is P-Rod a sell out then cause he decided to skate for them? Are the local “core” shops in the midwest that support and promote the sport of skateboarding/snowboarding places for posers to hang? Skating is fuuly global and not just isolated in Southern California. Brands that go beyond the “locals only” mentality are the brands that are going to survive and have a future. I totally agree with you on Mallister not having any authenticity, but to loop NikeSB in with them is a bit of a stretch. If I had a dollar for every non skater, kook out there wearing a core brand t-shirt I could quit my job.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Yes “ThePusher” you are correct in stating that NikeSB has the real deal core and very talented athletes on their roster, but that does not give them authenticity with true boardsports roots. No different really than the fact that they are fully into soccer now and taking massive market share from Addidas who in my opinion should be firing back hard at Nike. But being that these are not just “sports” as Nike would like us to believe so they can jump in and claim all sports under their swoosh. Surfing, skating, snowboarding are a lifestyle for us here in SoCal. PERIOD. Other places as around the world as well. It’s not a “locals only” thing like you are suggesting. But more of an understanding and intimate respect for the brands who started this whole industry and the real reason why they did in the first place. Believe me…. the guys who started Quik and other peer brands didn’t give 2 shits about making millions. They were just trying to find a way to make a living and surf every day doing it. That’s core. And Nike is core also…. it’s just that their “core” was making running shoe outsoles with a waffle iron for the Oregon track stars with no roots or ties to the boardsports or Southern California youth culture.
August 18th, 2008 at 10:57 am
True Quik didn’t start out trying to make millions.. but eventually they did, which afforded them the opportunity to grow their bottom line by branching out and buying other companies…(ie. Cleveland Golf, Rossi, DC etc.) Sure it raised eyebrows within the community, but Quik (being a public company)has to show growth because even they realize that if you are CORE you are POOR. Do you still respect Volcom, Bong or any other of these highly respected companies who are publicly traded companies where 50 year old fat cats on wall st. trade their stock. Are they still considered core now cause they are making millons off the sport? Whateves, I agree with some of your comments, just not all of them…
August 18th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
none of you know what your talking about… so quick to pull the skate card out but if you look you will notice there are no signed skaters on 6.0. So… hard to give the kid a mil eh?
yea Vans is owned by Wrangler jeans. How core is that?
August 20th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
yeah because they have alots of money to put in! but they dont have the adtitud! THEY ARE NOT SKATERS!!!
August 21st, 2008 at 8:37 am
Cool. We can agree to disagree on some points. This blog is getting tired.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:01 am
all good Whateves…
August 21st, 2008 at 11:05 am
now I can agree with you on that, Whateves!
April 17th, 2009 at 6:37 am
the bottom line with 6.0 is that it has severely watered down sb. If the sb guys don’t step it up and recreate demand for their line it will be all downhill from here.
Also sb is no more core than 6.0. Anyone can sell sb now. Nike has to grow right. Its kinda like volcom. 15 years ago you had to jump thru hoops to buy volcom, now you just have to turn in a order.
Growth sure can ruin companies.