Given the state of the world, the unsustainable market base for Nike products, and a company willing to cut to the bone to make it more profitable- it is quite likely that Nike is a zombie brand.
The vast majority of customers cannot afford Nike products. This is very well known, and in many ways it is by design- a byproduct of manufactured scarcity. What happens when credit is no longer an option for customers? We are entering this world now, and I can only imagine Nike sees the cliff.
Nike is no longer an aspirational brand. It is a nostalgia brand. That seems like a small thing, but it’s literally everything. In a future that cannot be defined, nobody imagines Nike innovating. We are not now, so why would that change as the company straps in to run lean?
We are watching a corporation become a Wall Street zombie in real time.