The Effectness of Nike Brand Marketing - Essay Example

From this study it is clear that the Nike brand name and its swoosh logo is perhaps one of the most recognizable throughout the world along with those of Coca-Cola, Disney and Microsoft. Its products are greatly performing and currently, the brand is the market leader of its industry. The most recent market report places Nike comfortably ahead of Adidas, its closest competitor, with a 36 percent global sales as opposed to the latter’s 21.8 percent. Willigan credits much of this success to the fact that Nike is a champion brand builder, with its promotional slogans like “Bo Knows,” “Just Do it’” and “There Is No Finish Line,” -among others distinctive mantras- have moved beyond advertising into popular expression, demonstrating the extent of Nike’s intrusion in many people’s consciousness and how it has evolved.

As the paper outlines Nike’s history demonstrates a development and emergence of a quintessential  company. It was started by Philip Knight in his mother’s bathroom back in 1962 with the name Blue Ribbon Sports. From then until 1971, the “start-up” company was a fledgling player in the shoe industry. The year after, however, would radically change the fate of the shoe manufacturer. When William Bowerman, then a running coach at the University of Oregon, presented to Knight how a piece of malleable rubber on a waffle iron could actually enhance running performance, Knight took this presentation to heart, and Nike was born.. (MSNBC 2008) Willigan (2009) credits much of this success to the fact that Nike is a champion brand builder, with its promotional slogans like “Bo Knows,” “Just Do it’” and “There Is No Finish Line,” -among others distinctive mantras- have moved beyond advertising into popular expression, demonstrating the extent of Nike’s intrusion in many people’s consciousness and how it has evolved.

Background Nike’s history demonstrates a development and emergence of a quintessential company. It was started by Philip Knight in his mother’s bathroom back in 1962 with the name Blue Ribbon Sports. From then until 1971, the “start-up” company was a fledgling player in the shoe industry. The year after, however, would radically change the fate of the shoe manufacturer. When William Bowerman, then a running coach at the University of Oregon, presented to Knight how a piece of malleable rubber on a waffle iron could actually enhance running performance, Knight took this presentation to heart, and Nike was born.

Pinxten and Preckler (2006) chronicled this pivotal presentation: By attaching such a cushioning piece of rubber to the sole of the shoes, they would become both lighter in weight and more durable. In twelve years sales rose from $2 million in 1972 to $919 million by 1984. (p13) From the earliest stage of Nike’s history, promotions have been a fundamental part of its operations. This is best represented by the choice of Nike – the name of the Greek winged goddess of victory – as well as the swoosh logo, which, for its part, was designed largely for aesthetic purposes.

This was, according to Gereffi and Korzeniewicz (1994), an