Nike hires new CEO Elliot Hill to replace John Donahoe

Today, Nike, Inc. announced its replacement of much-criticized former CEO, John Donahoe, with Elliott Hill (pictured above.)

The move came mere days after Bloomberg published a devastating assessment of Donahoe’s tenure:  The Man Who Made Nike Uncool.  Instead of fulfilling fans’ desires to invest in R&D and realize the company’s golden era marketing aspirations as a high tech innovator, Donahoe’s reported approach more closely resembled that of a “fast fashion” brand: squeezing consumers, retailers, and workers alike to increase margins for decades-old models like the Nike Dunk.  Though earnings rose under Donahoe’s tenure, the company ultimately failed the “vibes test,” resulting in a widespread loss of confidence.  Earlier this year, share prices plummeted following projected revenue declines, due in no small part to sagging sales in North America, as the company’s missteps began to catch up with it.

Donahoe’s “direct to consumer” pivot ceded retail shelf space to rivals both new and old, allowing rivals like Hoka, ASICS, and On to gain visibility in Nike’s prized running category.  Sneaker collectors, long weary of jumping through hoops to pay ballooning prices for decrepit tech and unfaithful replicas of classic sneakers, increasingly shifted attention and allegiance to the likes of New Balance.  Repeated layoffs and the departure of key personnel eroded the company’s talent base.

Even Nike’s seemingly unassailable lead in basketball is now under threat.  Adidas’ first signature shoe for Anthony Edwards made waves following its launch earlier this year, and New Balance recently announced the addition of top prospect Cooper Flagg to its growing endorsement team.

Nike remains a dominant force in the industry, with a large and enviable roster of sponsored athletes, but the brand has lost some of its luster and identity.  Once marketed as a renegade, youthful underdog, Nike has since become the stagnant, establishment empire against which such underdogs rally.

Even as an overreliance on nostalgia contributed to the company’s recent stumbles, it again looked to the past when charting its path forward.  In its press release, Nike stressed incoming CEO Elliott Hill’s longtime connection to the company, perhaps sensing the need to draw a sharp contrast against an unpopular outbound executive with no prior footwear experience often caricaturized as operating out of his depth.

Is Elliott Hill the right choice for the moment?  Let us know in our forums.

 

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Nike can't even keep players on their roster but for some reason y'all think they can just go pluck Ohtani or AE :rollin I'm done with this thread man :rollin
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Oct 8, 2002
I wonder if they still do signature shoes like they did if for Penny. Just show up with a bunch of shoes and tell you to pick one.
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Jun 26, 2005
tr1ll said:
I just realized the other day that....A LOT OF BUT NOT ALL women can't dress. All their outfits are a copy of something. Like its the exact combination the Fashion Nova/Shien model wore. It may just be where Im at tho.

its where we’re at, women used to have style….WE used to have style.

its the phones. its not just fashion, its in everything now.

too much to type right now, ill explain later
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Tatum 2's were at the outlet yesterday for the lowty low, like $40 in kids sizes and maybe $80 in adults like fam didn't just win a championship and have a baby with Ella Mai
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seasoned vet said:
😂🤣😂🤣

i blame Kanye and his plastic ex-wife for this garbage fashion era we’re in
Kanye did not force cookout shoes on us... lolololololol

Nb got so many fly models and colorways but those aren't it
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sharpshooter718 said:
Kanye did not force cookout shoes on us... lolololololol

Nb got so many fly models and colorways but those aren't it

try asking my position instead of laughing. it prevents you from looking stupid later.
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speaking of Ye, your local Adidas store got all Yeezys for $30. They have to be off of all them by the 15th, tbh tomorrow puts them inside of a week they might mark them down again
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tr1ll said:
I just realized the other day that....A LOT OF BUT NOT ALL women can't dress. All their outfits are a copy of something. Like its the exact combination the Fashion Nova/Shien model wore. It may just be where Im at tho.

but according to reports they about to divorce and part of it is Kanye picks out all her clothes lol..

so that’s on him
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datznasty said:
speaking of Ye, your local Adidas store got all Yeezys for $30. They have to be off of all them by the 15th, tbh tomorrow puts them inside of a week they might mark them down again
Any reason why the 15th specifically?
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Debating if I should waste gas and tolls to check out the Adidas outlet
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fluid hips said:
Debating if I should waste gas and tolls to check out the Adidas outlet
is the juice worth the squeeze?
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kvsm23vs24 said:
All it takes is one good Ohtani/ Nike ad and it would explode. Plus Trout was on the trash Angels 😆 Ohtani probably the biggest baseball star in the world and in LA and has all of Japan behind him >>>>>>

Hopefully NB can ramp it up.
Most of the world doesn't know wtf baseball is :lol
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fluid hips said:
Most of the world doesn't know wtf baseball is 😆

Baseball is popular in most of the Americas and East Asia.
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fluid hips said:
Most of the world doesn't know wtf baseball is 😆

Just like most of American's don't know what real football is.
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Burglekutt said:
Just like most of American's don't know what real football is.
It will when you realize just how difficult it is. Or if you go to a World Cup match. Nothing but respect from me.
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Why would Edwards jump after creating the most hyped ball shoe since the Kobe's?
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Nike Jordan said:
Baseball is popular in most of the Americas and East Asia.
Banana Republics and former Banana Republics isn't the world
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Nike Jordan
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You know what Nike should do?

Bring back the Sports Specialties hats.

They're sitting on a gold mine with that brand.
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daruma formerly clu713
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they'll come crawling back
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Complex out here pushing it for a check 😆

Just funny seeing the shoes I grew up on and could be had for under $50 now trendy

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Thought this was interesting
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pmatic said:

Kinda clickbaity. Actual video makes it clear new companies will always come and go, but that Nike is clearly in the drivers seat.

Also, crux of the video is that Nike went Direct to Consumer and leaned on Digital sales strategies and once the pandemic ended and digital sales dropped a bit, they haven't made moves.

I would love for the market to get to a place where Nike wasn't a behemoth and all of sudden there was competition in stores and online and prices dropped and you could get like Anta (not just Ky) and Li Ning and Rigorer and Way of Wade in Dicks and Finishline and Hibbett and stuff. But I just think it's a reach right now to act like Nike isn't standing in there like Bron, while these other brands that JUST GOT THERE flail around like Dalton Knecht doing MJ shrugs like they did something.
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All I wanna know rn is if I could diddybop into footlocker on the Sunday after release to cop the WCIV, grape V, and black red 1’s
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concordflightxi said:
All I wanna know rn is if I could diddybop into footlocker on the Sunday after release to cop the WCIV, grape V, and black red 1’s
If any of those 3 are like this past BC3 cluster, you may be good lol. Mad returns at the Nike store around my way. 1s may be the hardest of the 3 though. If not, the hype really is dead thank goodness.
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Glad the hype is dead. More kicks for me
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