Clothing market: preferred brands amongst male teens in the U.S. 2018

One-third of teenage boys in the United States regarded Nike as their favorite clothing brand, with adidas and American Eagle named second and third, respectively. Amongst all teenagers, both male and female, Nike maintained its position as the most popular brand, but with a share of 23 percent.

It pays to advertise

Nike invests around 1.4 billion U.S. dollars annually on advertising in the United States. The company’s marketing strategy has had to evolve over recent years to meet changing consumer trends: for example, an increasing number of teenagers in the United States are watching video content on YouTube as opposed to television. Nike understands the growing importance of the platform as an advertising channel and has been rewarded by being ranked the top athletic brand on YouTube based on followers worldwide.

Following in the footsteps

Many teenage boys dream of becoming a professional athlete in leagues such as the NFL or NBA, and some of their role models on the field or court will be sponsored by Nike. Basketball star LeBron James signed a lifetime deal with Nike in 2015 and reportedly earns around 50 million U.S. dollars per year through endorsements. Those teenage boys who aspire to emulate LeBron are, therefore, far more likely to want to buy the Nike merchandise that he endorses.