The LeBron line changed dramatically with the introduction of the LeBron 7, designed by Jason Petrie. It was the first LeBron shoe to feature a full-length Max Air bag, and the Flywire-reinforced upper was lighter and sleeker than any LeBron shoe that had come before. But Petrie (and the LeBron line) really found its groove with the next shoe, the LeBron 8. Delivered in three increasingly lighter versions, the LeBron 8 still works best in its heavier, more elegant V1 form. You may have heard of the South Beach variety.
Nike is a champion brand builder. Its advertising slogans—“Bo Knows,” “Just Do It,” “There Is No Finish Line”—have moved beyond advertising into popular expression. Its athletic footwear and clothing have become a piece of Americana. Its brand name is as well-known around the world as IBM and Coke.
So it may come as a surprise that Nike, the consummate marketer, came to understand the importance of marketing late in its life: after it hit the $1 billion revenue mark. After more than a decade of meteoric growth, Nike misjudged the aerobics market, outgrew its own capacity to manage, and made a disastrous move into casual shoes. All of those problems forced the company into a period of intense self-examination. Ultimately, says founder, chairman, and CEO Phil Knight, the company realized that the way forward was to expand its focus from the design and manufacture of the product, where Nike had always excelled, to the consumer and the brand.