Soccer Game Changers #5
Nike Tiempo: Better late than never
The final instalment in this series focuses on another icon of the game, the Nike Tiempo.
It seems scarcely believable today that Nike had no presence in the soccer market — which they arguably now dominate — until 1994. Their previous foray was ‘The Nike’ in 1977, which was a commercial failure. Yet the Oregon giant was jolted into action once FIFA ( football’s governing body) awarded the USA the World Cup. Possibly Nike felt it would be unacceptable to have the tournament playing-out on home turf and not be represented. And so, the Tiempo was born.
It was launched alongside a big budget TV advert ‘The Wall’ and equally expensive player endorsements, including Romario, Paolo Maldini, and a further 8 of the tournament’s finalists. The boot itself was designed for comfort and came in a classic white on black, mimicking the Puma King, with 6 or 14 stud iterations.
The shoe was an overnight success and has been updated ever since — it is currently on its sixth iteration — retaining the same familiar silhouette but incorporating new colourways and materials.
More remarkable still is its part in a 2005 YouTube sensation. Nike published a video starring Ronaldinho (the best player on the planet at the time), shot with a grainy quality that gave it a ‘behind the scenes’ feel. The Brazilian is seen training alone, yet moments later he is offered a new pair of white Tiempo ‘Legends’; once on his feet he proceeds to juggle a ball before hitting it — at pace — at the crossbar, whereupon it bounces back at him, he controls it and repeats the trick nine times. Whilst this would later be accused of airbrush wizardry, at the time it went viral and was the first video to rack up over a million views. Even now it is worth a watch.
The attention the spot received not only drove sales, it launched a whole new war between the major manufacturers, namely shareable social media content. This phenomenon allied to the significance of the Tiempo being Nike’s first reputable product, means the boot deserves its place amongst the true game changers.
