Interview with Nike Sponsored Athlete

Saskia Bullen is part of the New Zealand Women’s Soccer Team. She is also one of the first women soccer players to be sponsored by Nike in New Zealand. After previously being sponsored by Adidas; I was interested to know why she made the change. I asked her 15 questions therefore the interview was quite extensive. I pulled out three particular questions that answered my query about the brand switch.

How did your Nike sponsorship come about?

Adidas originally sponsored New Zealand Soccer. But I think around 2004 New Zealand Soccer was offered money to change to Nike. With the change, Nike wanted to have a few female players solely sponsored by Nike. They asked me and I accepted.

What convinced you to change from Adidas to Nike?

With Adidas I was offered $3000 a year in gear. Nike offered me $5000 a year in gear. They also claimed to be more efficient and would use me a lot more to promote women’s soccer.

How strong is your brand loyalty to Nike compared to Adidas?

When I was sponsored by Adidas, obliviously followed all the guidelines they set out for me. Such as, I wasn’t allowed to wear another sports brand clothes when I was attending a sports event. I had always liked Adidas clothing so when there sponsorship first came about it was a bonus. However, I would still purchase clothing from other sport labels to wear when I wasn’t in public view. I feel being sponsored by Nike I have to be more responsible. They have made it a point that I am an ambassador for women’s soccer and have promoted that. I am now more recognized and therefore and a lot more conscience of what I buy and what I wear. So I guess you could say, my brand loyalty is stronger towards Nike.

Once your Nike sponsorship has expired, will you continue your brand loyalty with Nike?

Well I still have another 3 years left of my sponsorship deal. If I continue to keep on playing, they have an option of extending my contract. At the moment I really enjoy using Nike products and the benefits they provide. So in the future I will probably buy Nike products for training use. But if I see another sports label with some trendy clothing or shoes, I wouldn’t hesitate in buying it.