Diana Marszalek 20 Jun 2019 // 5:24AM GMT
BEAVERTON, OR — Nike, which built its brand around high-impact marketing, is reviewing its North American PR support, the Holmes Report has learned.
The sportswear giant is targeting firms with multiple US offices as well as a Canadian presence to handle the account, which is estimated to be worth a high six-figure sum per year, according to individuals familiar with the review. The Outcast Agency, which has a lengthy relationship with Nike, is the incumbent agency.
Specifically, Nike — the world’s largest athletic shoe and sportswear manufacturer — is looking for an agency to handle insight development, narrative construction and content creation; Secondary responsibilities include media strategy and relations, sources said.
A Nike spokesperson declined to confirm details of the brief or the review process.
Whoever wins the business will be part of a vast network of agencies that work in various capacities with Nike, well-known for addressing hot-button issues in its high-profile ads and marketing mix — and propelling the brand into larger societal conversations as a result.
Last September, Nike furthered its tradition of aligning with gutsy athletes (and sparking controversy) by making Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback whose on-field protest against racial injustice launched the “take a knee movement,” the face of its most recent high-profile ad campaign.