«The Nike story»
The Nike swoosh is one of the most recognized company logos in the world, ranking right up there with Mc. Donald's clown Ronald and the Lacoste alligator, according to brand consulting firm Interbrand. The journey that led to Nike becoming one of the world's most known companies starts a decade before the company that was later to become Nike was established.
NIKE WAS FOUNDED IN 1964 BY BILL BOWERMAN AND PHIL KNIGHT INVESTING $500 EACH ON A HANDSHAKE TO IMPORT TIGER SHOES FROM JAPAN AND SELL THEM IN THE US. AT THAT TIME GERMAN SHOE BRANDS WERE THE DOMINATE BRANDS BEING WORN BY ATHLETES. THEY FOUNDED BLUE RIBBON SPORTS WHICH WOULD BECOME THE FUTURE NIKE.
Nike's precursor originated in 1962, a product of the imagination of Philip H. Knight, a Stanford University business graduate who had been a member of the track team as an undergraduate at the University of Oregon. Traveling in Japan after finishing up business school, Knight got in touch with a Japanese firm that made athletic shoes, the Onitsuka Tiger Co. , and arranged to import some of its products to the United States on a small scale. Knight was convinced that Japanese running shoes could become significant competitors for the German products that then dominated the American market. In the course of setting up his agreement with Onitsuka Tiger, Knight invented Blue Ribbon Sports to satisfy his Japanese partner's expectations that he represented an actual company, and this hypothetical firm eventually grew to become Nike, Inc.
At the end of 1963, Knight's arrangements in Japan came to fruition when he took delivery of 200 pairs of Tiger athletic shoes, which he stored in his father's basement and peddled at various track meets in the area. Knight's one-man venture became a partnership in the following year, when his former track coach, William Bowerman, chipped in $500 to equal Knight's investment. Bowerman had long been experimenting with modified running shoes for his team, and he worked with runners to improve the designs of prototype Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) shoes. Innovation in running shoe design eventually would become a cornerstone of the company's continued expansion and success. Bowerman's efforts first paid off in 1968, when a shoe known as the Cortez, which he had designed, became a big seller.
The SWOOSH logo is a graphic design created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. It represents the wing of the Greek Goddess NIKE. Caroline Davidson was a student at Portland State University in advertising. She met Phil Knight while he was teaching accounting classes and she started doing some freelance work for his company. Phil Knight asked Caroline to design a logo that could be placed on the side of a shoe. She handed him the SWOOSH, he handed her $35. 00
In the 1990 s and 2000 s Nike began to expand to clothing, Soccer, Golf and its overall reach in the sports world began to grow and dominate. You see Nike everywhere from work out clothes to causal wear, fitness technology and of course shoes. Recently Nike maybe as well known for its troubled athletes including Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong, But their reach is impressive and their sponsorships (list here) reach deep into the sports world.
Key Dates: Ø Ø Ø Ø 1962: Philip H. Knight founds Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) to import Japanese running shoes. 1963: BRS takes its first delivery of 200 shoes from Onitsuka Tiger Co. 1966: The company's first retail outlet opens. 1968: Company is incorporated; the Bowerman-designed Cortez shoe becomes a big seller 1971: BRS begins manufacturing its own products overseas, through subcontractors; the Swoosh trademark and the Nike brand are introduced. 1972: At the 1972 U. S. Olympic Trials, the Nike brand is promoted for the first time; company enters its first foreign market, Canada. 1979: First line of clothing is launched and the Nike Air shoe cushioning device debuts.
Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø 1980: Nike goes public. 1985: Company signs Michael Jordan to endorse a version of its Air shoe--the 'Air Jordan. ‘ 1991: Revenues reach $3 billion. 1994: Company acquires Canstar Sports Inc. , the leading maker of skates and hockey equipment in the world, later renamed Bauer Nike Hockey Inc. 1996: The Nike equipment division is created. 1999: Company begins selling its products directly to consumers via its web site. 2003: Nike acquired major competitor Converse in a deal costing $309 million. 2004: Nike acquires Starter, another competitor, later divesting its ownership in 2007. 2008: Nike acquires Umbro, an English manufacturer, later divesting its ownership in 2012: Nike begins an $8 billion stock buy-back program.
Сonclusion Today, Nike continues to seek new and innovative ways to develop superior athletic products, and creative methods to communicate directly with our consumers. The company has continued to expand in new ways, including strong growth in China and a deal to become the official sponsor of the National Football League (NFL) beginning in 2012.
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