Discuss the role of marketing research in helping Nike management make this decisionwhat kind of research should be undertaken?

This answer may be of opinion, but I feel they should focus more on product. my reasoning is the stability of the shoes image. While it helps to have the endorsement of a famous athlete these are temporary gains in terms of market endurance. I feel the product needs to be focused on more, even if an athlete is present, there is no telling when a trend can go south for anything, even sports. I just think it would be better to focus more on the consumer needs than the athlete's appearance. When was the last time you heard the mention of "foot comfort" in a Nike commercial?