Nike vs. Puma “You Design It. We Build It.” vs. “Taste the Art of Shoe Making”

Mass customization is rapidly replacing mass production as a dominant marketing strategy in the digital age. Two major competitors in the athletic shoe market, Nike and Puma each employ this concept of mass customization by means of the Web 2.0 platform. After visiting and evaluating both sites respectively, the following will analyze their differences in approach, customer experience and use of technology.


NikeID provides its customers with the ability to make a statement through customized materials, color, style, fit and a personal id. Their approach resonates with the overall marketing strategy of the Nike Corporation, providing performance and enhancing athletic skills through their vast inventory of sporting products. NikeID strives to present their customers with the ability to fulfill their needs to the highest level possible.


Puma has chosen to attack the customization shoe market with a very different approach. Puma’s “Mongolian Shoe BBQ” is a unique way for the shoe company to reach their specific market. Their concept for this campaign originates centuries ago in the Far East, during feasts for Genghis Kahn’s Mongolian Army. Soldiers would use their swords to gather a medley of different ingredients to cook their own personal feast. This concept of the BBQ has helped Puma to understand that every customer has different tastes and should be able to express that in the creation of their customized shoe. Therefore Puma explains that they have provided the consumer with a generous assortment of materials so that they can cook up something that can suit their style.


This approach is very unique compared to the Nike website. Puma looks to appeal to the more creative customer who is seeking to design their shoe purely for style. The background story and website animation used by Puma convey their message of encouraging the customer to be unique and create the perfect match for them. Nike on the other hand is appealing to the more mainstream shoe market and specialized in team customization as well as individuals. The difference between the two companies approach in the athletic shoe market is followed by their message in the customized market as well.


As I first logged on to the NikeID webpage it was apparent to me the two different categories of customizers they were looking to attract, sports and style. As a customer that was interested in customizing a sporting shoe I set out to investigate the process for designing a basketball shoe. After selecting a shoe to customize I began by scanning other Nike designs for the same shoe to gather ideas and enhance my experience during customization. I choose the Nike Zoom Blur iD Shoe, because of its appealing structural design and its high performance lightweight technology. Once I was designing the shoe and was attempting to save to my locker for later editing I was prompted to register an account with Nike. Basic demographic information was required but I was also required to provide an address and was prompted to sign up for Nike email discounts and other special membership perks. From a customer’s viewpoint I was impressed and intrigued by the process of creating my new shoe and was blown away by the attention to detail and personal iD I could have stitched into my shoe. The use of my name, nickname, team name, number, team mascot and other specialized attributes were all available to create a shoe that I could call specifically mine. Based on my experience NikeiD’s website was very user friendly and kept me on their sight for hours.


A different story developed as I visited the Puma website. I found their approach although to be very unique and interesting it didn’t resonate with my interest in creating a shoe. Their website to me seemed to be overdone as I will go into further detail about when citing their use of technology. I found their process to be long and too in-depth and was annoyed when being prompted to make choices between too many materials and colors. As I stated initially customizing a shoe for me would not be as much a decision centered around style but in performance. However, overall I found Puma’s website to be too complicated and difficult to navigate.

Nike’s website grabbed my attention from the beginning with a combination of a visually appealing layout, sound and video. NikeiD featured a video explaining the features available and a “how to” demonstration of optimal customization. This video helped to familiarize me with the site and easily navigate and design the perfect shoe for me. Another excellent use of the technology is the remarkable ability to view your shoe as if it was on the desk in front of you. Zoom in/out, rotate, or change the viewing angle. I was amazed by the attention to detail from the programmers that created the surreal interaction between the consumer and his/her creation. The feature of “myLocker” was well done and a proper use of technology. Nike understands that to pay top dollar for a customized shoe you want it to be perfect and not just design and buy in one setting. The ability to save as many shoes online as you could create provided the customer with the ability to come back to the website for editing whenever they would like. Finally, the most interesting feature of the NikeiD website is the customers’ ability to create a shoe and then make it into a picture or desktop background. A minute didn’t pass from the time I finished creating my dream shoe to it appearing as the background on my laptop. This connection NikeiD is able to create eliminates Nike from the equation and develops a relationship between shoe and creator through the use of technology.


In, conclusion mass customization is replacing the old fashion notion of “if you build it they will come”. The digital age allows companies to customize products to individuals at a reasonable cost and with reasonable efficiency. Customers are no longer interested in adapting to products but expect a product that satisfies their needs completely. Marketing is the process of facilitating and satisfying exchange. Nike and Puma have both adapted to their consumers needs by creating these customization websites and are able to satisfy their customers through this new technology. After visiting the sites and evaluating them from a consumer’s perspective I believe NikeiD is a far superior website and is more successful at creating a satisfying exchange between the consumer and its company.

For more information or referance please experience the websites for yourself at:

Nike: http://nikeid.nike.com/nikeid/index.jhtml?_requestid=29679#home

Puma: https://www.puma.com/secure/mbbq/pindex.jsp?ip=US