Changing It--Because They Can

“Just Do It” just isn’t doing it for Nike anymore. On New Year’s Day, the world’s largest athletic shoe manufacturer will introduce a new slogan: “I Can.” Even though “Just Do It” isn’t being abandoned, the change is seen as a big gamble for a company whose advertising consistently ranks among the most popular and effective in the nation. Slowing sales are at the root of the change. Nike reported a 20% decline in profit for its fiscal second quarter ended Nov. 30, compared with the same period a year earlier. Orders for future delivery were virtually unchanged. Nike executives attribute the lagging sales partly to lukewarm consumer reception to its new line of so-called statement-level shoes, such as the Air Penny, that carry the names of famous athletes.