How Nordictrack Lost Its Footing

Not so long ago, an insomniac could barely get through a late-night channel surf without running into an ad for NordicTrack. And the saturation-ad strategy worked. By 1993, sales of its cross-country-ski machines were heading toward $500 million a year. By last October, NordicTrack was in Chapter 11. In this day of bulging bellies and short attention spans, fitness machines come and go like so many post-holiday diets. But how did this pioneer of infomercials fall so far so fast?

For starters, NordicTrack was a victim of its machine's durability. Lots of golfers and tennis players, for example, never stop looking for a longer-driving club or a racquet with a sweeter spot. But once you have a NordicTrack, you never need another one. In an industry in which impulse buyers seek get-thin-quick solutions, NordicTrack got hammered by a barrage of contraptions to flatten stomachs and harden thighs.