Shared research study link

Nike Brand Sentiment - Week 1 Baseline (Jan 2026)

Track consumer sentiment toward Nike for correlation with stock performance

Study Overview Updated Jan 11, 2026

Objective: Track consumer sentiment toward Nike to test correlation with NKE; we asked about likelihood to recommend (why), change vs six months, last interaction, and next‑year success.
Research group: 24 responses from 6 US adults (ages 30–55) across warm/cold geos and roles (parents, service/frontline workers, older CSR‑aware shoppers).
Notable voices: Sarah Hall was more positive on durability, Paula Remy applied a CSR/data‑privacy lens, Channel Dilone was highly price‑sensitive, and Jacob Lopez reported acute kids’ shoe failure.

Overall, sentiment was lukewarm‑to‑positive: people recommend Nike when discounted for comfort and everyday performance, but price creep, inconsistent sizing, mixed durability (especially kids), and pushy app marketing temper enthusiasm, while easy returns/logistics keep it in consideration.
Versus six months ago most felt about the same but more cautious on full price; recent interactions clustered around outlets/clearance and smooth returns, with store noise and app tracking as irritants.
Outlook: flat‑to‑slightly‑up units powered by promos and sports‑calendar tailwinds, with margin pressure and slow goodwill erosion; parents increasingly substitute clearance and secondhand.
Main insights: entrenched discount dependence, durability/fit friction, DTC/app fatigue, climate split (cold needs traction/heft; warm values quick‑dry), and a small but influential CSR/privacy cohort.
Takeaways: monitor promo depth/frequency, kids’ durability and sizing/return mentions, app/privacy complaints, climate‑specific performance, and CSR spikes; expect discounting to buoy traffic but flag gross‑margin risk and test these signals for lead/lag correlation with NKE.

Participant Snapshots

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6 profiles

Walter Rasco

Bilingual Sephardic Latino retail manager in Whittier, 39, single homeowner. Values durability, clarity, and community. Data-driven, budget-disciplined, health-conscious. Balances merchandising leadership with woodworking, family traditions, and pragmatic,…

Channel Dilone

Marisol Camacho, 41, is a Spanish-first, divorced mother of three in San Antonio. A bakery-cafe shift lead, she’s budget-conscious, uninsured, faith-centered, and practical, prioritizing stability, children’s education, and transparent, time-saving services…

Sarah Hall

Divorced Army veteran in Columbus, GA, Sarah Hall balances cybersecurity studies, parenting her 6-year-old, and shared finances with her mother. Practical, privacy-aware, and community-minded, she prioritizes kid safety, transparent pricing, durability, and…

Paula Remy

South Side Chicago home health care leader, 55, married, childfree household. Practical, community-minded, and tech-comfortable. Values reliability, transparency, and time-saving tools. Choir on Thursdays, gumbo on Sundays, and zero patience for hidden fees.

Jacob Lopez

Basic Demographics

Jacob Lopez is a 30-year-old Hispanic man living in rural Indiana, USA. He is single, Catholic, and Spanish is the primary language at home. He is not a U.S. citizen but holds valid work authorization and is working toward perm…

Jamey Montoya

Bilingual hospitality operations manager in Port St. Lucie, married with two kids. Values reliability, safety, and ROI. Pragmatic, schedule-bound, community oriented. Buys durable, clearly priced solutions with bilingual support and minimal onboarding frict…

Walter Rasco

Channel Dilone

Sarah Hall

Paula Remy

Jacob Lopez

Basic Demographics

Jamey Montoya

Overview 0 participants

Sex / Gender

Race / Ethnicity

Locale (Top)

Occupations (Top)

Demographic Overview No agents selected

Age bucket	Male count	Female count

Participant locations No agents selected

Participant Incomes US benchmark scaled to group size

Income bucket	Participants	US households

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 ACS 1-year (Table B19001; >$200k evenly distributed for comparison)

Media Ingestion

Connections appear when personas follow many of the same sources, highlighting overlapping media diets.

Questions and Responses

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4 questions

Response Summaries

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4 questions

Word Cloud

Persona Correlations

Overview

Across 24 respondents Nike sentiment is broadly lukewarm-to-positive: the brand delivers day-one comfort, broad availability and customer-friendly returns that keep it in consideration, but purchase intent is highly conditional on price and promotions. Durability concerns-most acute for kids’ shoes and white midsoles-plus inconsistent sizing and limited utility for non-slip or heavy-duty work weaken loyalty. Climate and life stage materially shape attitudes (cold-climate older shoppers prioritize traction and fabric heft; warm-climate active users value lightweight breathability). A small but influential subgroup of older, credentialed buyers elevates CSR/data-privacy as a purchase trigger. Net implication: short-term volume is likely sustained by promo-driven demand, but margins and long-term retention are at risk unless perceived quality-per-dollar and corporate-responsibility/data-practices improve.

Total responses: 24

Key Segments

Segment	Attributes	Insight	Supporting Agents
Parents of school-age children	ages ~30–41 mixed incomes urban/suburban frequent kids’ sneaker purchases	Parents treat Nike as an acceptable conditional buy for kids-they purchase at outlet/clearance or via resale because kids quickly scuff or outgrow shoes. Durability anecdotes (split toes, fast scuffing) drive rapid negative word-of-mouth and reduce full-price willingness.	Channel Dilone, Jamey Montoya, Sarah Hall, Jacob Lopez
Service & frontline workers (food service / retail / manual labor)	occupations requiring non-slip or rugged footwear practical performance focus sensitivity to functional shortcomings	This group separates athleisure buys from job footwear: Nike rarely meets non-slip, oil- or heavy-duty specs, so respondents choose alternative brands for work and view Nike as unsuitable for employment footwear purchases.	Channel Dilone, Jamey Montoya, Jacob Lopez
Cold-climate, older shoppers	age 50+ living in cold urban areas higher expectation for traction and thicker/fleece-lined apparel	In winter markets thin hoodies and poor winter traction materially lower sentiment; this cohort also links product backbone to brand credibility and is more likely to factor corporate responsibility into purchase decisions.	Paula Remy, Jacob Lopez
Warm-climate active consumers	age ~30–35 hot/humid geographies prioritize quick-dry, breathable apparel for short runs and errands	Consumers in warm climates praise Nike’s lightweight, sweat-wicking apparel and show higher functional satisfaction for everyday active uses-however, they remain price-aware and often wait for promotions.	Jamey Montoya, Sarah Hall
Value-seeking shoppers across incomes	low-to-high incomes use outlets, promos, marketplace/resale transactional purchase language	Discount-driven behavior transcends income: many respondents-including higher earners-delay or condition buys on sales, training consumers to expect markdowns and pressuring realized price/margin.	Channel Dilone, Sarah Hall, Jamey Montoya, Walter Rasco
Older, credentialed decision-makers	age 50+ graduate education / managerial roles elevated emphasis on corporate conduct	This subgroup weighs CSR, athlete/labor support and data/privacy heavily; even with functional positives, perceived corporate shortcomings reduce willingness to recommend and increase sensitivity to brand missteps.	Paula Remy
Spanish-language / Hispanic pragmatic shoppers	Spanish language preference practical, deal-oriented shopping use of local marketplaces/outlets	Spanish-speaking respondents display transaction-first behavior-frequent clearance and marketplace use plus attention to fit (narrow) indicate price and practicality dominate brand choice in this sample.	Channel Dilone, Jacob Lopez, Jamey Montoya, Walter Rasco

Shared Mindsets

Trait	Signal	Agents
Discount-driven purchase behavior	Majority explicitly recommend or buy only on sale/clearance; full-price purchases are rare even among higher earners, creating promotional dependency.	Channel Dilone, Sarah Hall, Jamey Montoya, Jacob Lopez, Paula Remy
Day-one comfort	Most respondents report immediate comfort for running, walking or gym use, supporting repeat trial even when long-term TCO is questioned.	Sarah Hall, Jamey Montoya, Walter Rasco
Perceived mixed durability (especially kids' shoes)	Consistent anecdotes of fast scuffing, midsole staining and toe splits for children’s shoes lower long-term brand trust and increase replacement/return friction.	Jacob Lopez, Jamey Montoya, Sarah Hall, Channel Dilone
Inconsistent sizing / narrow fit	Multiple requests to try on or size up increase returns and shopping friction, especially for online purchases.	Sarah Hall, Jamey Montoya, Paula Remy
App/marketing fatigue and privacy sensitivity	Some respondents actively disable notifications or decline membership prompts due to data tracking and marketing fatigue, which can blunt CRM effectiveness.	Paula Remy, Walter Rasco, Sarah Hall
Easy returns and broad availability mitigate negatives	Smooth returns and in-stock SKUs preserve consideration even when product concerns exist-these service attributes act as short-term loyalty buffers.	Sarah Hall, Paula Remy, Jamey Montoya
Unsuitability for certain work contexts	Respondents in service or trade roles consistently consider Nike inadequate for non-slip/rugged job requirements and therefore exclude the brand for work footwear purchases.	Channel Dilone, Jacob Lopez, Jamey Montoya

Divergences

Segment	Contrast	Agents
Durability perception - Sarah Hall vs majority	Sarah Hall reports a high durability experience (steady use for a year) while most parents and several others report rapid scuffing and concrete failures for kids’ shoes.	Sarah Hall, Jacob Lopez, Jamey Montoya, Channel Dilone
CSR/Data-sensitivity - Paula Remy vs price-first shoppers	Paula Remy places CSR and corporate conduct at the center of purchase decisions and is less willing to recommend despite functional positives; many other respondents place price and functional fit above CSR concerns.	Paula Remy, Channel Dilone, Walter Rasco
Climate-driven product fit - Cold-climate older shoppers vs Warm-climate actives	Cold-climate, older respondents flag thin hoodies and poor winter traction as critical negatives; warm-climate active users praise lightweight, quick-dry apparel and report higher functional satisfaction.	Paula Remy, Jacob Lopez, Jamey Montoya, Sarah Hall
Economic framing - Walter Rasco (TCO/privacy) vs general transactional shoppers	Walter Rasco emphasizes total cost of ownership and app/data friction and will shift to competitors for longer-term value, whereas many shoppers focus primarily on immediate promo availability or in-store convenience.	Walter Rasco, Sarah Hall, Channel Dilone

Recommendations & Next Steps

Overview

Build a lean, multi-signal Nike sentiment program tuned to themes from the study-discount-dependence, durability pain (esp. kids), fit friction, DTC/app fatigue, cold vs warm climate needs, and episodic CSR spikes-then quantify weekly and test for lead/lag correlation with NKE. Start with low-cost public data and LLM-assisted coding of qual, scale only signals that show predictive value. Use the Claude↔Ditto connection to lock a clear tagging taxonomy and copy standards for analysts.

Quick Wins (next 2–4 weeks)

#	Action	Why	Owner	Effort	Impact
1	Promo Pressure Tracker	Consumers buy Nike only on sale; visible promo depth/frequency should correlate with margin talk and traffic.	Growth Analyst	Low	High
2	App Store Review Miner (Nike app)	Track notifications/privacy fatigue, sizing, and returns mentions to quantify DTC friction weekly.	Research Analyst	Low	High
3	Google Trends Pulse	Queries like “Nike sale”, “outlet”, “promo code”, “non-slip” proxy price-sensitivity and use-case gaps.	Data Analyst	Low	Med
4	Kids Durability Watch	Parents report toe splits/fast scuffing; monitor kids product reviews/social for failure keywords.	Insights Lead	Med	High
5	CSR/Trust Spike Monitor	Episodes around women’s sports/labor drive abrupt sentiment shifts for older buyers.	Comms Analyst	Low	Med
6	Qual→Tag Taxonomy in Ditto	Standardize tags (discount, durability, fit, DTC, climate, CSR) to make LLM coding auditable.	Research Ops	Low	High

Initiatives (30–90 days)

#	Initiative	Description	Owner	Timeline	Dependencies
1	Nike Sentiment Composite Index (NSCI)	Build a weekly composite across 6 pillars: Price/Promo: homepage/email promo depth, Google Trends ‘sale/outlet’ Durability: review/social mentions of split/pill/fray, kids-specific rate Fit Friction: ‘narrow’, ‘size up’, return mentions DTC/App: push/track/privacy complaints, uninstall sentiment Climate Fit: cold-geo traction/hoodie heft vs warm-geo quick-dry praise CSR Pulse: women’s sports/labor controversy intensity Normalize 0–100 and publish weekly.	Data Science Lead	Weeks 1–6	Promo Pressure Tracker, App Store Review Miner, Google Trends Pulse, Qual→Tag Taxonomy in Ditto
2	Backtest & Correlation to NKE	Run rolling regressions and lead/lag tests (1–8 weeks) of NSCI and pillars vs NKE returns, controlling for SPY, XLY, DXY, seasonality, and earnings windows. Output a heatmap of predictive horizons and a simple Nowcast dashboard.	Quant Analyst	Weeks 5–9	Nike Sentiment Composite Index (NSCI)
3	Source Expansion: Resale and Pricing Spread	Add StockX/GOAT/eBay median sale vs MSRP for key SKUs and kids categories; compute a Resale Discount Spread as a value proxy.	Data Engineer	Weeks 6–10	Legal/ToS review, Nike Sentiment Composite Index (NSCI)
4	LLM-Assisted Qual Coding Pipeline	Use Claude to classify fresh qual (forums/Reddit/reviews) into Ditto-managed tags with weekly human audit; track F1 and drift.	Research Ops	Weeks 2–5	Qual→Tag Taxonomy in Ditto
5	Alerting & Governance	Alert on 2σ moves in pillars (e.g., CSR spike, durability surge). Add data quality checks, event flags (earnings/major sports).	Product Manager	Weeks 8–12	Nike Sentiment Composite Index (NSCI), Backtest & Correlation to NKE

KPIs to Track

#	KPI	Definition	Target	Frequency
1	Signal Predictive Strength	Max absolute correlation of NSCI/pillars with NKE returns at 1–8 week leads; report top horizon.	>\|0.25\| at ≥1 lead horizon with p<0.05	Monthly
2	Directional Hit Rate	Share of weeks where NSCI change correctly signals next-week NKE direction.	≥60%	Monthly
3	Data Latency	Average lag from raw signal availability to index update.	<48 hours	Weekly
4	Tagging Quality (LLM)	Manual audit F1 for core tags: discount, durability, fit, DTC, CSR.	F1 ≥ 0.85	Biweekly
5	Coverage Breadth	Distinct sources and average Nike mentions/week ingested.	≥8 sources; ≥2,500 mentions/wk	Weekly
6	Promo Depth Accuracy	MAPE of detected promo depth vs manual spot checks.	≤10% MAPE	Monthly

Risks & Mitigations

#	Risk	Mitigation	Owner
1	Data access/ToS violations from scraping retail or resale sites.	Prefer official APIs/paid datasets; respect robots.txt; rate-limit; legal review before expansion.	Legal Counsel
2	Overfitting/backtest bias leading to illusory predictiveness.	Use rolling out-of-sample windows, cross-validation, pre-register KPI thresholds, keep a holdout period.	Quant Analyst
3	Confounding macro/events (earnings, guidance, FX) swamp consumer signals.	Control for SPY/XLY/DXY, add event dummies, run sensitivity excluding event weeks.	Data Science Lead
4	Sample bias in qualitative sources (overweight vocal subgroups).	Weight by segment/geo; balance with scaled reviews and search trends; periodic re-baselining.	Research Ops
5	Signal drift as Nike changes promo cadence or app policies.	Monitor feature importance; retrain quarterly; keep a minimal robust core (search + reviews).	Product Manager
6	Privacy/PII exposure in data handling.	Ingest only public, aggregated data; strip identifiers; documented data retention policy.	Security Lead

Timeline

Weeks 1–2: Stand up quick wins, finalize tag taxonomy in Ditto, start Trends/App reviews.
Weeks 3–6: Build NSCI v1, launch LLM coding pipeline, first weekly report.
Weeks 5–9: Backtest vs NKE, publish lead/lag heatmap, refine weights.
Weeks 6–10: Add resale/pricing spread, improve promo parsing, geo climate split.
Weeks 8–12: Alerts/governance, KPI gates; greenlight only signals with proven lift.

Research Study Narrative

Objective and Context

Goal: Track consumer sentiment toward Nike for correlation with stock performance. This Week 1 baseline synthesizes 24 respondent inputs across four questions to isolate drivers of consideration, friction points, and likely implications for near-term demand, margins, and brand equity.

What We Heard (Cross-Question Learnings)

Lukewarm-to-positive advocacy, conditioned on price. Typical recommend scores cluster in the mid-range (avg ~6.5/10). Most will recommend if there’s a sale/outlet find and the right use case. Evidence: “I only buy on sale or at the outlet. Full price is a joke.” (Sarah Hall)
Comfort on day one; durability and fit questions later. Lightweight, quick-dry apparel and casual/running comfort satisfy immediate needs (Jamey Montoya), while durability for kids (toe splits, scuffing, midsole staining) and inconsistent/narrow fits drive returns and caution (Jacob Lopez glued a pair after ~2 months; multiple size-up/dual orders reported).
Purchase behavior is discount-led. Respondents routinely stack promos/discounts and use outlets or secondhand. Channel Dilone: “I buy only if there’s oferta or clearance... if there’s deal, ok; if not, paso.”
DTC works logistically, not emotionally. Fast shipping/easy returns mitigate negatives (Paula Remy), but pushy app marketing and privacy prompts drive fatigue/notification shutoff.
Store environment can detract. Crowds, loud music, and perceived high sticker prices undercut value perceptions.
Six-month sentiment is largely stable, with caution. Steady consideration due to availability/returns, tempered by price creep, durability complaints, and fit inconsistency. A minority leans more negative on CSR/privacy (WNBA labor support, tracking).
Forward look: volume defended by promos, margins at risk. Most expect flat-to-slightly-up units sustained by promotions and calendar tailwinds, with margin pressure and potential brand equity erosion (Walter Rasco: “They’ll print volume… at the cost of margin and long-term brand equity.”)

Persona Correlations and Nuances

Parents of school-age kids (Channel Dilone, Jacob Lopez): Accept Nike at clearance/resale; durability failures (toe split) quickly erode goodwill and full-price appetite.
Service/frontline workers: Separate athleisure from work needs; Nike perceived as unsuitable for non-slip/rugged specs, limiting category reach.
Cold-climate, older shoppers (Paula Remy): Prioritize traction and fabric heft; apparel pilling and winter traction gaps depress sentiment; elevate CSR/labor support in decisions.
Warm-climate actives (Jamey Montoya, Sarah Hall): Praise quick-dry/lightweight gear; still price-sensitive with discount stacking.
Value-seeking across incomes: Discount-dependence is a shared mindset, training consumers to wait for markdowns.

Implications

Promo-dependence sustains units but pressures realized price and may condition long-term expectations.
Durability (kids) and fit friction are leading indicators of churn and negative word-of-mouth.
CSR/privacy spikes can trigger sharper sentiment swings among older, credentialed buyers.

Recommendations

Stand up a Nike Sentiment Composite Index (NSCI) across six pillars: Price/Promo, Durability (esp. kids), Fit Friction, DTC/App fatigue, Climate Fit (cold vs warm), CSR Pulse. Normalize 0–100 weekly.
Quick wins: Promo Pressure Tracker; App Store Review Miner for notifications/privacy/sizing/returns; Google Trends for “sale/outlet/non-slip”; Kids Durability Watch for “toe split/pill/fray”; CSR/Trust Spike Monitor tied to women’s sports/labor news.
Backtest vs NKE with lead/lag windows (1–8 weeks), controlling for SPY/XLY/DXY, seasonality, and earnings windows.
Expand sources to resale pricing spreads (StockX/GOAT/eBay) as a value proxy; add LLM-assisted qual coding with weekly human audit.

Risks and Measurement Guardrails

Data/ToS risk: Prefer official APIs/paid data; respect robots.txt; legal review.
Overfitting/backtest bias: Rolling out-of-sample, holdouts, pre-registered KPI thresholds.
Macro/event confounds: Control for market factors; flag earnings/sports events.
Sample bias/signal drift: Weight by segment/geo; retrain quarterly; maintain robust core (search + reviews).

Next Steps and KPIs

Weeks 1–2: Finalize tag taxonomy; launch Promo Tracker, App Review Miner, Google Trends Pulse.
Weeks 3–6: Build NSCI v1; deploy LLM coding pipeline; publish weekly readout.
Weeks 5–9: Backtest NSCI vs NKE; produce lead/lag heatmap; refine weights.
Weeks 6–10: Add resale/pricing spread; climate geo-splits; improve promo parsing.
Weeks 8–12: Alerting on 2σ pillar moves; governance and data quality checks.

Primary KPIs: Signal Predictive Strength (>|0.25| at ≥1 lead, p<0.05); Directional Hit Rate ≥60%; Data Latency <48h; LLM Tagging F1 ≥0.85 for discount/durability/fit/DTC/CSR; Coverage ≥8 sources and ≥2,500 mentions/week.

Recommended Follow-up Questions Updated Jan 11, 2026

For each category below, what minimum discount off full price would make you likely to buy in the next 30 days? (Categories: Adult footwear, Adult apparel)

matrix Quantifies promo sensitivity to model margin pressure and revenue risk for stock correlation.
Rate your likelihood to purchase Nike in the next 3 months under each condition: Adult footwear at full price; Adult footwear on sale; Adult apparel at full price; Adult apparel on sale.

matrix Builds a near-term demand index separating full-price vs promo-driven units to forecast volume.
Where are you most likely to buy your next Nike product?

single select Estimates DTC vs wholesale vs outlet mix, informing margin outlook and channel KPIs.
Rank your top three non-Nike brands you would consider for your next athletic footwear purchase.

rank Identifies substitution risk and likely share shifts that could impact sales momentum.
Which factors most influence whether you buy Nike products? (Attributes for MaxDiff: price/discounts, comfort, durability/quality, fit/size consistency, style/design, performance for sport, brand reputation, returns/shipping convenience, availability/selection, data privacy trust)

maxdiff Prioritizes the drivers most tied to conversion to guide initiatives that move sentiment.
Compared to your expectations, how did the durability of your last Nike purchase perform?

semantic differential Benchmarks durability perception linked to returns, repeat rate, and brand equity.

Track over time as indices: Promo Threshold (%), Intent (full vs sale), Channel Mix (DTC share), Alt-Brand Rank shift, Driver Importance, Durability vs Expectation.

Study Overview Updated Jan 11, 2026

News & Media

Source	Weight

Nike Brand Sentiment - Week 1 Baseline (Jan 2026)

Walter Rasco

Channel Dilone

Sarah Hall

Paula Remy

Jacob Lopez

Basic Demographics

Jamey Montoya

Walter Rasco

Channel Dilone

Sarah Hall

Paula Remy

Jacob Lopez

Basic Demographics

Jamey Montoya

Sex / Gender

Race / Ethnicity

Locale (Top)

Occupations (Top)

Summary

Themes

Outliers

Overview

Key Segments

Shared Mindsets

Divergences

Overview

Quick Wins (next 2–4 weeks)

Initiatives (30–90 days)

KPIs to Track

Risks & Mitigations

Timeline

Objective and Context

What We Heard (Cross-Question Learnings)

Persona Correlations and Nuances

Implications

Recommendations

Risks and Measurement Guardrails

Next Steps and KPIs

Distinct Market Research Groups

Marketing Reports Generated

Digital Twin Synthetic Personas

Questions Answered