.png)
TL;DR: As local brands outpace global giants, Nike’s new Shanghai studio signals a pivot toward market-led storytelling, speed, and cultural fluency.
SHANGHAI —Nike is building a new in-house creative studio in Shanghai. And you’d be forgiven for thinking: better late than never.
For years, Nike—and many global brands like it—relied on the assumption that Chinese consumers aspired to an American state of mind. Jordan. Kobe. Oregon cool. That model carried the brand through decades of success. But times have changed.
It’s no longer enough to stamp Chinese characters on Western campaigns and call it localisation. The next generation of consumers in China wants more: brands that understand them, reflect their values, and speak their cultural language. Authentically. Not interpreted by a global marketing department that doesn’t know its 豆腐干 from its 粢饭.
Nike’s response? Icon Studios Shanghai—an internal creative hub designed to produce digital content, livestream assets, ecommerce visuals, and social-first campaigns. The objective is clear: rebuild local relevance in a market that once contributed nearly 20% of Nike’s global revenue, but has since fallen to 15%.
The urgency is justified. Domestic players like Anta and Li-Ning have surged ahead, leveraging local culture, pricing agility, and platform fluency to outpace foreign competitors. In China today, visibility alone isn’t enough. Brands must behave as if they are local—in content, in commerce, and in cadence.
It’s why Nike’s CEO, Elliott Hill, made Shanghai one of his first stops after returning to the top job. While the company has invested across China—from a tech centre in Shenzhen to a product innovation lab in Shanghai—this move marks a structural shift, not just strategic intent.
This is Nike decentralising its brand operations.
Icon Studios represents a broader reorganisation: a pivot away from centrally managed, globally uniform campaigns towards locally led creative operations that respond in real time to trends, platforms, and culture.
Jason King, a former Apple marketing executive in Greater China, will lead the studio; Nike is prioritising not just speed, but craft. The goal is to deliver “China-right” content: created by local teams, for local audiences, optimised for a digital ecosystem where livestreams, short video, and social commerce now dominate.
Nike is not alone in recognising the shift. Companies like Unilever and LVMH are adopting similar models, empowering regional teams to accelerate content production and deepen cultural alignment. But for Nike, the stakes are higher. China remains a critical growth engine—and a bellwether for brand relevance in other rising markets.
Naturally, decentralisation comes with challenges. Maintaining brand consistency across geographies becomes more complex. But the alternative—retaining a top-down, global-first model—is already proving unsustainable.
By establishing Icon Studios Shanghai, Nike is making a statement: global brand equity will never be sufficient. It’s like letting (Uncle) Jamie Oliver teach you 麻婆豆腐 - mápó dòufu - you’ll end up with something edible, but your mate 夏风 - Xià Fēng - will wonder where the fire went.
Relevance must be earned—in culture, in real time, by those closest to the market.
In strategic terms, this is a typical polycentric model: decentralising operations so that each market can operate with greater independence and cultural fluency. It’s not just localisation—it’s local leadership.
How will Icon Studio Change Things for Nike in China?
Expect Nike to give its China teams more decision-making power, integrate local insights more deeply into product and storytelling, adopt more agile operating models, and invest further in regional talent and creative partnerships.
Because in China—and soon, everywhere—brand power will come not from broadcasting globally, but from building relevance locally. And hopefully clawing back some of its revenue.
.webp)
.webp)
