The Kicks You Wear, Vol. 152 — A1 customer service
Nike is trying to win you over with every move they make
Good morning, family! Welcome to the Kicks You Wear! Thank you so much for kicking it with me this morning.
We’re inching closer and closer to 3k! Let your friends and fam know it’s giveaway SZN here and make sure they sign up, fam.
Let’s jump in.
Nike’s battle to earn your trust back
(Photo by Maxwell Nelson on Unsplash)
Nike is taking another step forward in making sure their customers aren’t stuck with counterfeit products.
They’re partnering with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to authenticate goods that come into the country. The agency announced the partnership in a release last week.
This is a pretty big deal.
Counterfeiting is big business, as we’ve discussed before. And Nike is a huge part of that business.
Just an example: CBP seized $2.2 million worth of fake Nike goods in 2019. There’s plenty more where that came from.
This is a really good thing for everyone involved. It makes the CBP’s job easier and allows Nike to weed out fakes which, ultimately, is beneficial for the consumer.
What strikes me the most about it is that it’s something they don’t have to do. They’ve been letting the CBP do its job alone for forever — why change that now?
Reading the tea leaves: This is Nike trying to earn the trust of the consumer back.
The swoosh has spent a chunk of 2021 so far trying to earn your trust back after multiple scandals at the top of the year.
First, it was the Trophy Room debacle. Then it was Joe and Ann Hebert. Then it was Lil Nas X and MSCHF.
They took a real hit in terms of public trust and perception. That’s something the company reportedly privately acknowledged to employees.
This move makes the lives of consumers easier just like Nike’s supply curtailment strategy for retailers that backdoor or their refurbishing program. They’re doing what they can to make their shoes accessible, authentic and affordable. Things we’ve been asking for for years.
Let’s be real. Is all of this a direct result of any scandals? Absolutely not. But trust between the brand and consumers has been eroding for a while.
There’s still a long way to go before the relationship is completely repaired here.
But there’s no question that all of this certainly helps.
Don’t hate on Atmos’ brilliant P-Rod drop
(Photo by Samuel Mwamburi on Unsplash)
Atmos played a bit of sneakerhead bingo this weekend to try and get the “What the Paul” Dunks to actual Paul Rodriguez fans.
The details:
They put together a bingo board on Twitter. You filled spaces by having different products. P-Rod shoes, Atmos gear, SB boxes and more.
Here’s a look at the board.
Seems pretty fun, right? And there were tons of people who caught W’s because of this.
There were lots of unhappy folks, too. People complained that newer sneakerheads who missed out on some of the eras included here had no shot.
And that’s absolutely correct. They had 0 chance. But that’s OK! This shoe isn’t really for them.
This is a “What The” shoe for Paul Rodriguez. It’s a celebratory amalgamation of the 30+ shoes he’s created with Nike.
These shoes are an appreciation of that history. They're not for new sneakerheads.
The mistake that people make is believing that they need every new sneaker or that every sneaker is made with the intention of pleasing them. It isn’t. Not even close.
A new sneakerhead wanting this shoe is fine. You don’t have to know the history to participate. But don’t be mad when someone who does gets rewarded for it.
And, look, one could argue that this is gatekeeping. But I don’t think it’s that. I think this is just Atmos giving P-Rod and Nike SB fans their moment in the sun. And, honestly, we don’t have enough of that these days.
This was fun. It was creative and it did the job it was supposed to do. As a sneakerhead, that’s all you can ask for.
SPECIAL DELIVERY: This is for the ladies
This might be my favorite episode of Special Delivery yet. I always love bringing bigger conversations to the table while unboxing kicks. That’s what this is all about to me.
In our latest episode, I got a chance to hold Nike’s ‘Green Glow’ Dunk SP and they were dope. But what was more important was what they represented.
The women’s exclusive Dunk wave is just one example of how sneaker culture is becoming more inclusive. I talked about it here.
Women are changing sneakers for the better. And as a fan of the culture, you absolutely love to see it.
Make sure y’all like, subscribe and chop it up with me in the comments!
Now THIS is how you wear your kicks
You know how I always say to actually wear your sneakers? And how I encourage y’all not to let them sit in waste?
This is the apex of that.
Wearing Jordan 4’s while documenting the Nyiragongo eruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo is next-level badassery.
Shouts to Weartesters for sharing this and shouts to this man for doing absolutely incredible work.
What’s droppin’ bruh?
Nike Dunk SB “What the Paul?” — Monday, May 24
Nike Air Force 1 Low Experimental “Postal Ghost” — Friday, May 28
DTLR x New Balance 992 “Discover & Celebrate” — Friday, May 28
Air Jordan 3 “Rust Pink” — Saturday, May 29
Yeezy Foam Runner “Mineral Blue” — Saturday, May 29
Thank you, again, for rocking with KYW. I appreciate you! Until next time, fam. We’ll chat on Wednesday.
Peace. Love. Be safe. Be kind.
-Sykes 💯
Yeesh. I think Nike customer service is terrible. For nearly a month now I’ve been complaining that their app doesn’t load or function at all. It has taken that long to get a response. Finally the response I did get was at this time they had no response. This from a brand moving out of retail and into e-commerce. Like the shoes but when the bread and butter app fails what does that say?
Great content and an interesting information on the Nike and CBP partnership. Will definitely look into this. Thanks for sharing 🙌🏾