Thinkbox CEO raps Nike’s vice president of digital sport for comments that digital is ‘more valuable’
Tess Alps, CEO for Thinkbox, has admonished Stefan Olander, Nike’s vice president of digital sport, over a comment saying that digital services such as Nike Plus are ‘more valuable and powerful’ than traditional marketing.
In the article, Olander said that the digital services complement the brand’s product range and encourage consumers to connect to Nike on a daily basis.
In a comment on the Marketing Week story, Alps said: “When will people with the word ‘digital’ in their job title stop talking down ‘traditional’ advertising and acting as though there is some sort of competition going on between the two?
“Of course it’s wonderful that a brand like Nike can create connections with and services for people via online and mobile channels. But they aren’t conjured out of thin air. If we put the Kool Aid down for a moment and look at how advertising actually works, then ‘traditional’ advertising (by which I assume he means anything that isn’t online) is the thing that has built, nurtures and sustains the incredible Nike brand. Nike is a world class traditional advertiser – could this in some way be connected to its online successes? Many pieces of research would suggest so.”