Sports

The history of Nike shoes

Nike is a brand synonymous with footwear. It is a household name that has accumulated billions in income since its humble beginnings. It is everyone’s favorite shoe company. Nike was founded in 1962 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight in the trunk of Knight’s car and originally started as Blue Ribbon Sports. Nike emanated from two sources: Bill Bowerman’s search for lighter, more durable running shoes for his runners from the University of Oregon, and Knight’s search for a way to earn a living without giving up his love of athletics. . The name ‘Nike’ was established in 1972 in honor of the winged Greek goddess of victory.

Instead of a wing, Nike incorporated the “Swoosh”. The “Swoosh” is well known around the world, designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971, for ONLY $ 35.00. Caroline Davidson was at the time a student at Portland State University majoring in advertising. Upon meeting Phil Knight while he was teaching accounting, she began working as a freelancer for his company. She designed the Swoosh and was paid $ 35. Along with the Swoosh, Nike is also known for its signature tagline: Just Do It, which makes Nike stand out like no other company.

Bowerman was the coach of the track team at the University of Oregon, where Phil Knight ran in 1959. Bowerman’s desire for better quality running shoes clearly influenced Knight in his search for a marketing strategy. Spurred by this burning desire, the birth of one of the most influential and strongest brands in the world began to take shape. It took a while for the name ‘Nike’ to sink into the minds and hearts of shoe fans and sports enthusiasts, as well as to establish the great name they have today.

Nike took training while Knight completed his MBA at Stanford in the early 1960s with Frank Shallenberger. The one-semester project consisted of starting a small business of her own and working out a marketing plan with her. By converging Bowerman’s focus on quality running shoes and the knowledge and awareness that high-quality, low-cost products could be produced in Japan and shipped to the US for distribution, Knight finally found its niche. market. However, Shallenberger thought the idea was interesting, but felt it was nothing more than Knight’s marketing ideas for the project, something that would not become a commercial jackpot.

In the late 70s, Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike and went from $ 10 million to $ 270 million in sales, and all from the back of a car. Many people complained that Nike’s were not made in the United States in the early 1980s. The term ‘Sweatshop’ came about around this time when people were crazy about the way Nike shoes were made in Vietnam, China. and Indonesia, where people received low wages and were subjected to very poor working conditions. This was a major public relations issue that led to the boycott of Nike products around the world, particularly in the US Although that did not stop people from buying Nike products, and Nike continued to grow.

The turning point for the Nike Company came in 1985 with the best basketball player in the world – Michael Jordan came into play among Nike’s big shots. With Michael Jordan, Nike scaled new heights with the popular “Air Jordan” shoe alongside apparel. This made Nike known as a ‘Fitness and Sport Revolution’ brand and was named by the “Advertising Age” 1996 Marketer of the Year, citing the “ubiquitous swoosh … it was more recognized and coveted by consumers than any other brand. sporty, possibly any brand “Nike is at the top of the charts thanks to Michael Jordan, but they may never admit it. Thanks to the new success obtained through collaborations with Jordan, this led to new collaborations with famous athletes such as Bo Jackson, Andre Agassi, Charles Barkley, Deion Sanders, Ken Griffey, Scottie Pippen, Penny Hardaway, Jason Kidd, Barry Sanders and many more. .

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