Nike: Run forward in the right direction.

What is the true power that enables Nike to transcend cycles and keep moving forward?

Matthew Nurse, Vice President of Nike Sports Research Laboratory, always believes that innovation is the DNA of this global sports brand.

"During the innovation process, the Nike Sports Research Laboratory (NSRL) is the brain that has also given birth to many groundbreaking ideas," Matthew Nurse told 36Kr. These innovative technologies are becoming the cornerstone for Nike's continuous development and the possibility of a sustainable future.

On November 5, Nike made its fifth appearance at the China International Import Expo. Different from previous years, this year, Nike took "running" as the theme. It not only unveiled a new series of road running shoes and several new running products but also systematically demonstrated its long-term investment in running and the latest scientific and technological innovation achievements in recent years.

Since its establishment, Nike has been deeply associated with track and field. In the Chinese market, Nike has also established a deep connection with Chinese track and field and the general runners.

However, since entering 2024, under the background of economic cycle fluctuations and consumption stratification, slower growth and stable development have become the main theme of sports brands. At the same time, leading enterprises, including Nike, are also constantly emphasizing the importance of scientific and technological innovation and increasing investment in the running shoe track, which can best demonstrate the results of scientific and technological research and development.

In the public context, "professional sports and scientific and technological innovation" have been brought to the forefront of the entire industry. At this time, Nike may be expected to accumulate strength through innovation and move forward by running.

01 Starting from "Running"

"Nike is a company that started with running, and running has always been Nike's core business category."

In the opinion of Dong Wei, Chairman and CEO of Nike Greater China, Nike is an enterprise born for runners. From the current development of Nike, the early entrepreneurial experience of its founders has also become a widely known legendary story.

In 1964, on a rainy day in Portland, Oregon, USA, track and field athlete Phil Knight had lunch with his friend and coach Bill Bowerman to discuss whether there were new opportunities for cooperation. Just one hour later, the two reached an agreement and jointly founded Blue Ribbon Sports, which is the predecessor of Nike.

Because of the brand's inherent "running gene", in the coming decades, Nike has continuously broken boundaries and shaped and led the running culture globally with innovative products and services. At this year's CIIE, Nike traced back to its origin and development in the running field and comprehensively demonstrated its leading advantages in running technology, from the classic speed system, the industry-leading shock absorption technology to the Nike Flyknit upper technology.

At the exhibition site, Nike also announced a new running product matrix and simplified and optimized its road running products into three clear product line series, focusing on the specific needs of runners for the responsiveness, comfort and support of running shoes.

These three series are: the rebound and shock absorption represented by the Pegasus series, the super shock absorption represented by the Vomero series, and the support and shock absorption represented by the Structure series.

In the future, the three series will continue to improve, starting from the "classic Icon" style and gradually upgrading to the "Plus" and "Premium" styles with advanced technology and performance characteristics. This enables runners of all levels to quickly and accurately find the road running shoes that suit them according to their different needs and different sports scenarios.

In addition to launching a new product matrix, the most eye-catching is the innovative achievements simultaneously displayed by Nike.

At last year's CIIE, NSRL announced that it would land in China. This year, the new running consultation service NSRL Form made its official debut, also bringing an interactive experience to the CIIE audience.

In Matthew Nurse's introduction, NSRL Form can provide users with running posture analysis, running training and running shoe selection to help them better understand their running status and the potential for improving their sports performance.

Not long ago, on November 4, this latest digital system has taken the lead in entering the Nike Shanghai Huaihai Brand Experience Store, making China the first market in the world to introduce NSRL Form into retail stores.

02 People-oriented, Listening to the Voices of Athletes

Looking back at Nike's history, it is not difficult to find that the development of its brand and the innovation of professional technology are two inseparable aspects.

Since the first Nike Swoosh logo appeared on the track in 1972, Nike has been committed to using innovative technology to create products that meet or even exceed the needs of every athlete. And the Nike Sports Research Laboratory (NSRL), which has a history of more than 40 years, has witnessed the birth and development of countless innovative technologies of Nike.

In 1980, NSRL was founded in a small warehouse. Nowadays, the Nike Sports Research Laboratory has nearly 8,000 square meters of research space, including a 200-meter track, an NBA standard full-size basketball court, about 1/3 of a standard football field, three artificial environment rooms and a rehabilitation room, allowing Nike researchers and designers to conduct tests, experiments and prototype making without restrictions.

In terms of technological innovation, NSRL mainly focuses on four aspects: sports performance, product experience, sports protection, training and recovery; at the same time, Nike hopes to inspire more people to participate in sports through research.

It is worth mentioning that for the past 60 years, Nike has been deeply studying runners.

"When we focus on technology and products, we always put people first, that is, 'listening to the voices of athletes'."

Matthew Nurse told 36Kr that when Nike studies footwear products, it can affect the performance and feeling of runners by changing the relationship between each component, such as the shock absorption and structure of running shoes, which requires continuous tracking of the runners' sports performance, data and product experience.

A typical case comes from Nike's cooperation with "Marathon Legend" Eliud Kipchoge.

As part of the Breaking 2 project, Kipchoge first tested the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite running shoes. During the test, he immediately fell in love with the propulsion and landing feel of this product. Kipchoge participated in every iteration and upgrade of the NEXT% running shoes.

In 2019, Kipchoge broke the two-hour marathon limit in Vienna, and the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% he wore was also produced in such an innovation of "deep participation and timely feedback."

In addition, Matthew Nurse also emphasized that 90% of the runners that NSRL "listens to" are ordinary sports enthusiasts.

"We pay great attention to daily runners to ensure that the diversified needs of the products are met, such as the diversity of gender, body type and sports ability. As we all know, the runner group is globally diversified, and we are also working hard to solve this problem."

All along, Nike has advocated the concept that "as long as you have a body, you are an athlete". NSRL will also provide personalized training and running shoe equipment guidance through testing based on the different sports abilities and sports methods of each runner, combined with the latest technologies in the fields of biomechanics, motion capture and machine learning. These insights are used to boost Nike's innovation to help athletes perform at their best.

03 Serving Chinese Runners

Nike's goal is to better understand the needs, motivations and challenges of athletes through a variety of scientific methods, thereby establishing a closer connection with them. In the Chinese market, NSRL is not fighting alone. In focusing on localized innovation research and development, Nike has always insisted on cooperating with scientific research institutions from China.

At the meeting, Nike signed a memorandum of cooperation with Shanghai University of Sport. The two sides will jointly carry out breakthrough sports science research to help Nike create better products and experiences for Chinese consumers.

In addition, the famous Chinese track and field athlete Su Bingtian also came to the scene and announced that the "Su Bingtian Speed Research and Training Center of Jinan University" will join hands with Nike to assist in local "speed" research and training to improve the level of Chinese track and field. Nike will also carry out long-term cooperation with the "Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Speed Ability Research" of Jinan University to form a linkage effect from multiple fields such as track and field popular science and sports science research.

"China is leading the trend of a healthy lifestyle, which is the reason why we are making a long-term investment and continuously accelerating our development in the Chinese market."

Matthew Nurse told 36Kr that NSRL has measured the foot shapes of athletes in the north and south of China through scientific research and found that the foot shapes are similar, but the perception of shoe fit is different. Therefore, Nike has adjusted the product structure to make it more in line with the needs of Chinese consumers.

He always hopes that Nike can continuously deepen its understanding of China's sports culture and needs, and serve the global market with the insights gained from the Chinese market. For example, Nike has increased its research on table tennis and badminton in the Chinese market, and these achievements have brought inspiration for the innovation of Nike tennis products.

At the same time, Matthew Nurse is also looking forward to the performance of NSRL Form in the Chinese market. According to him, in the laboratory in the United States, Nike has conducted tests and research on 5,000 to 6,000 people. "In the future, we will more comprehensively understand the differences between Chinese and North American runners and use these insights to drive innovation."

In more occasions, Nike executives have publicly stated the importance of the Chinese market.

Dong Wei also said at the CIIE, "The Chinese running market has huge potential. Based on its innovation strength and brand advantages, Nike is increasing its investment in the running business. Practicing the commitment of 'In China, For China', Nike will continue to enhance local insights and innovation capabilities, continue to lead the Chinese running industry, and better serve the majority of Chinese runners."

To this day, in the Chinese market, Nike has provided runners with a wealth of services through digital ecological platforms such as WeChat. At this year's Shanghai Marathon, Nike also provided runners with a professional VO₂Max test to help runners improve their running performance.

At this year's CIIE, several new running products of Nike were also launched in the Chinese market, including the Kipchoge series shoes and clothing, the 2025 Nike Swift 6 Women's Road Running Series and the 2025 Nike Stride 5 Men's Road Running Series, etc.

It is delightful that the event site announced through a video that the "2024 Kipchoge Breaking Speed in China Tour" will start on November 22, which is also his fourth Nike China Tour,

A clear trend is that Nike, which combines international innovation resources and local innovation awareness, is continuously strengthening its competitive advantage. It is believed that in the future, the competition of sports brands will still be a competition around sports professionalism and scientific and technological innovation. Nike's strong performance in the running industry will also further lead the development of the global sports industry, moving forward in the right direction at an accelerated pace.