Advertising & promotion: Nike dumps UK shop

Nike has made the surprise decision to award its pounds 9m UK

advertising account to US agency Wieden & Kennedy, ending TBWA Simons

Palmer’s seven-year hold on the business.

The decision comes as the company plans a co-ordinated global marketing

push next year to defend its lead in the lucrative sportswear market

against rivals Reebok and Adidas. WCRS and St Luke’s also pitched for

Nike’s UK account.

The appointment of the Amsterdam-based agency, which is setting up shop

in the UK, dispels speculation that Nike was set to appoint a string of

different agencies to market products for individual sporting

categories, such as team sports and athletics, while retaining TBWA

Simons Palmer to market its football-related products in the UK

market.

Nike is now understood to have opted to use individual teams within

Wieden & Kennedy to advertise different sports.

The company is also understood to be preparing a new advertising theme

in the US, based around the line ’I can’, which will temporarily replace

Nike’s established ’Just do it’ tag line.

TBWA Simons Palmer recently produced what Nike had described as

’probably the best football ad ever’ with its ’Park Life’ execution.

The sportswear company, which sells products for over 30 different

sports worldwide, is believed to have questioned the merger of TBWA with

Simons Palmer earlier this year.

The ad review also follows the recruitment of Ian Todd, director of

operations at international sports consultant International Management

Group, to take on the role of director of global sports marketing.

Todd is expected to play a key role in Nike’s ambitions to build its own

business staging and marketing sporting events.

Nike declined to comment on the changes.

This article was first published on Marketing