While Nike has pretty much owned Instagram when it comes to anything related to fashion or sneakers, 2015 threw a bit of a kink in the plans. Using the "Best Nine" thing that people have posted to recap their year on Instagram, Dan Freebairn of Kick Posters looked at the bigger picture in the sneaker world and broke down which sneaker brand got the most likes and also how loyal its followers were. You can see the results in the photos here and it's pretty plain to see that Adidas Originals ran away with 2015. Originals shattered Nike's total likes, posting a total near 79 million compared to about 24 million. Even Vans had more than Nike this year, clocking in around 40 million of its own. Maybe it was the Kanye influence or maybe Adidas just had a way better Instagram strategy—either way, it cashed in hard this year. Before you jump the gun though, the chart doesn't seemed to have included Nikelab, Nike Sportswear, Jordan Brand or other Nike brand Instagram accounts that have their own sizable audiences.
The other end of the spectrum also tells an interesting story: brand loyalty. Freebairn looked at how many likes per follower each brand had and two slightly surprising names rose out of it. Vans and New Balance led the way with Adidas following in third and Nike in dead last among the brands considered. That's at least a little bit shocking. Take a look at the full breakdown here.
