Nike sprints ahead of the competition? Essay Example

third-world exploitation in the sportswear industry. Since 1985, Nike has shifted its successful marketing approach towards product innovation and company evolution. Their popular concept-based advertising campaigns that utilize 'image transfer' may also contribute to their continued success.

According to Dan Weiden, an ad agency for Nike, their goal is not to feature a specific product or mention the brand name in their ads. Instead, they focus on creating a certain mood or atmosphere and associating the brand with it in order to make a connection with their audience.

Nike has a history of using unpredictable image-based ads to market their brand. One such ad featured the Beatles and Nike athletes Michael Jordan and John McEnroe alongside non-celebrities engaged in sports to suggest that real athletes prefer Nike and that purchasing the brand may improve performance. Other ads have been shocking, like the 'Search and Destroy' campaign during the 1996 Olympics which included real imagery of blood and guts, or humorous, such as the debut ad for Michael Jordan's Jordan brand wear. This ad playfully implied that Jordan himself had a hand in production by leaving a Bulls' game at half time to visit his company and returning in time for the second half of the game.

Recently, Nike has shifted their marketing strategy to focus more on their product innovation skills, rather than their previous edgy and jokey attitude displayed in previous years. Chris Zimmerman, director of Nike's US advertising, explains: "We recognize that our advertisements need to tell consumers that we're about product innovation and not just athletes and exposure. We need to prove to consumers that we're not just slapping a whoosh [the company

trade-mark] on stuff to make a buck." Nike's new "I can" campaign features less celebrity athletes and more product usage compared to their previous "Just Do It" campaign. Competitors Reebok and Adidas have seen great success with their recently launched product-focused ads. Despite the emphasis on product innovation, Nike is not shying away from innovative marketing strategies.

Nike is concentrating on the international market as part of its new strategy, even though it may encounter significant difficulties. An insider predicts that within a few years, Nike's overseas sales will surpass its US sales. Nevertheless, the company has an obstacle to overcome because despite one-third of its business coming from abroad, domestic sales continue to generate more revenue.

Nike aims to expand into soccer and international sports, but must overhaul its marketing and distribution strategies to regain credibility as a top-tier sports shoe. The key markets that Nike seeks to strengthen are China, Germany, Mexico, and Japan. By emphasizing sports of interest in each region within their advertisements, Nike recognizes the need to cover more ground despite maintaining an advantage over competitors.

References: Jeff Jensen's articles 'Reebok and Nike go head to head in soccer battle' and 'Product innovation steps into spotlight at Nike' can be found in Advertising Age 68(18) (5 May 1997): 4 and Advertising Age 68(36) (8 September 1997): 3,48 respectively. Isabelle Sender's article 'Just do it, abroad' is available in Chain Store Age 73(10) (October 1997):121-4. The website for Nike is www.nike.com.

The two domains belong to sportswear brands, specifically reebok.com and adidas.com.