Nike: The most value sports brand in the world
Nike is the most value sports brand in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
It was founded in Portland (Oregon) in 1964 as Blue Ribbons Sports and officially as Nike in 1971. But much earlier it began to take shape. In the middle of the 50, the athletics coach of the University of Oregon, Bill Bowerman, wanted to get his athletes to have competitive advantages, his obsession or where he believed that it could be improved a lot was with innovation in footwear. Thus, with the help of Phil Knight he began to relate to Japan brands to be able to carry out the modifications they devised in the shoes.
Knight was one of the students who formed the Bowerman Athletics team, who once graduated in Oregon, obtained an MBA in finance at the University of Standford. Of this union, and with the contribution of $ 500 of the time they create ‘Blue Ribbons Sports’. That in its origins, it was a sports shoes distributor of the Japanese brand Onitsuka Tiger.
The founders who had both full -time works, had another athletics passionate, Jeff Johnson, whom Knight had met in Stanford and would take care of the company, being also a key piece within the gear of this company that was starting to create.
Johnson designed the first products, advertisements and other marketing materials. Even he made the photos for the company’s catalogs. He was also a pioneer, since he established an order system by mail and opened the first retail store of Blue Ribbon Sports in Santa Monica California.
In the early 70s, there were differences with this Japanese brand and decided to go on their own. Thus, in 1971, the company adopted Nike’s denomination, inspired by the name of the Greek goddess "Niké". In this same year the popular logo created by Carolyn Davidson arises, which represents the wing of this goddess that gives name to the brand. Davidson was a graphic design student. Knight and Davidson agreed at the University of Portland, where Nike’s founder gave accounting classes. The designer charged $ 35 for creating the mythical logo, although in 1983, he was gratified with Nike actions to thank that he created such an emblematic logo (known in the United States with the onomatopoeic definition of noise when running: "The Swoosh") and reward it for the success that the company was having.
What Knight looked for her logo was that she transmitted movement. The designer based her project on the name of the company, specifically on the wing of the Greek goddess ‘Niké’ transmitting all the dynamism that the founder had asked for. At first it seems that Knight did not convince her but she declared "that she was going to get used to it".
In 1972 the new Nike shoes debuted in the Athletics Tests of the USA.Uu that were held in Oregon, the city of origin of the company, where this first design seemed to be fruitful and was very light.
Apparently they already had everything: a short and very commercial brand name, a logo that transmitted the company’s values with a powerful design, so they only needed to get someone known in the world of sport to be able to make their creations known. At first they had the unbeatable athlete Steve Prefontaine, also from the University of Oregon, who came to run at the Munich Olympic Games. Unfortunately, he died very young, but he was a great ambassador of the brand at the beginning of Nike.
The 80s, was the great decade for the brand. The Nike contract with that NBA rookie, called Michael Jordan, in 1985, to launch a basketball lines was very profitable for both parties. In the United States, Nike sweeps the basketball shoes market, with 95% of the market share, especially based on its mythical Jordan Sneakers collection. These shoes and their Nike Air technology were fundamental for their success in the 80s. In 1987 they launch the Air Max: the first shoes with the air cameras in view. A year later the brand launches its most famous motto, Just do It, which curiously uses the last words of the death sentenced, Gary Gilmore, who was very famous for the way he requested to be executed.
From this date onwards, they begin to expand their offer. To become the multinational that is currently. They have a leading technological design with constant research to improve their products and make the athlete have a better experience. It also not only manufactures footwear, but accessories to complete all the needs of all disciplines, from golf to football, through fitness and running and differentiating their creations by gender.
At present, Nike has more than 700 stores worldwide (one of its biggest stores is in Oxford Street in London with 43.000 feet) and offices in 45 countries outside the United States, with 76.700 employees worldwide. Obtains annual benefits of more than 4.000 $.
It quotes in the New York Stock Exchange under the Nike symbol, its shares are at $ 86, $ 69 at present, lower than they are usually motivated by the world health alarm situation.
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