Can Elliott Hill Flip Nike’s Fortunes? Here's What He Needs to Do

It’s been a sole-crushing few years for the Beaverton crew. Facing stiff competition from rival sportswear giants and big-bark underdogs like and , dominance began to waver. Under the guidance of tech-evangelist John Donahoe, whose CV includes the top job at eBay, Nike prioritised a shift to direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies and the scaling of digital operations, effectively shutting out boutiques and retail partners that had long been fundamental to Nike’s cultural clout. In the innovation department, things were grinding to a halt. Nike leaned heavily on retro models to buoy sales – a short-term economic shot in the arm that soon flatlined.

On June 28, 2024, Nike experienced its worst of nearly 20 percent. The TL;DR version of all this? Nike had lost its aura. In September, from Nike and 30-plus-year veteran took up the mantle. The internet was flooded with a CV that screamed old-school, grassroots Swoosh-head – a kid who stoically packed boxes in warehouses and fielded questions from customers on the phone. Never mind the visuals (read: another middle-aged white guy), the intern-turned-CEO was the American Dream writ large – a rags-to-riches heart-warmer auspiciously positioned against the backdrop of a new election. While Donahoe was fed to the vultures with Nike hoping all the bad juju gets chewed up with him, Hill was a golden ticket for Nike’s PR machine.

But can Hill, in a political analogy too obvious to resist, ‘Make Nike great again'?

Repairing Relationships with Retailers

Everyone knows retail partners are ground zero for cultural influence. Under Donahoe’s reign, Nike made an aggressive pivot towards a direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategy, prioritising its own stores and online platforms over traditional retail channels. The decision caused major rifts with many of Nike’s long-standing retail partners. Nike forfeited prime real estate on the shelves, which was quickly swallowed up by rival brands. Hill will look to mend some of these broken relationships, but trust takes time to build. Sneakerheads are quick to smell doggy doo-doo, and Nike may have to crash on the couch for a while before being welcomed back to the bed. In seeking to recapture the elusive currency of ‘cool’, of which stores are the ultimate arbiters, Hill will have his hat in hand and shoes by the door.

Getting Back in the Innovation Race: Or, Make Some Cool Shit

While Nike’s competitors have happily bankrolled footwear innovation, Nike’s R&D department has stalled dramatically. With a one-eyed focus on scaling digital platforms and building a techno-topian retail platform, Nike have seemingly forgot one key component fundamental to the success of footwear brands: new product. For several years now, Nike have produced little in the way of groundbreaking new technology, instead leaning on sales from its retro catalogue – a strategy that has delivered short-term financial gains but failed to push the brand forward.

If Hill can renew investments in performance innovation and sports where they have traditionally dominated like basketball, football and running, then we have no doubt Nike can quickly make up ground. What Nike really need is innovative product that will cut through the endless spools of content flooding our feeds. And if innovation is too much to ask, how about just some fucking awesome shoes?

Building Trust with Signature Athletes

Nike have also copped plenty of flak for their treatment of signature athletes. Several high-profile sports people have spoken out about the lack of involvement in the creative process, leaving them feeling perpetually side-lined. Superstars like and the late have pushed for more creative control and innovation. In Kobe's case, he even considered launching his own brand after experiencing what he viewed as a prolonged period of technical stagnation. Tensions escalated in 2021 when Kyrie Irving publicly criticised his own upcoming Nike calling the shoes 'trash' on social media.

'I have nothing to do with the design or marketing of the upcoming Kyrie 8. In my opinion, these are trash! I have absolutely nothing to do with them! Nike plans to release it without my approval, regardless of what I say, so I apologise in advance to all of my sneakerheads and true supporters of the KAI11 brand,' Kyrie posted.

Once the reliable backbone of their business model, Hill needs to get on the good side of Nike’s next generation of talent like and embattled live wire The latter will no doubt serve as an important case study for Nike’s next chapter and their willingness to persevere with explosive talents prone to play by their own rules.

Swing for the Fences

Elliott Hill and co. need to put Nike’s logo on the line and swing for the fences. The backbone of the brand was built on rolling the dice, and Nike have since made a habit of expertly subverting the status-quo. But in recent years, they've retreated into the pocket, ignoring more audacious play calling for short yardage. They’ve sat out on innovation and repeatedly pissed off their signature athletes, retail partners and lifelong Air-heads. And no, for the record, we don’t count retros or rekindling romances with NYC weirdos as bold risk taking. We're talking about unboxing the Next Big Thing. A or showstopper; a shoe that will unapologetically drag its soles across the zeitgeist.

But it’s up to Elliott Hill and the new leadership to decide. No nauseating quotes testifying a preternatural vibe shift at HQ can really flip the fortunes of the Swoosh. This is ultimately about Nike’s most valuable, cold hard cash-producing commodity: You.