Nike

Background information: Iconography Explanation Nike Heritage NIKE, pronounced NI-KEY, is the winged goddess of victory according to Greek mythology. He sat next to Zeus, king of the Olympian pantheon, in Olympus. A mystical presence, symbolizing victorious encounters, NIKE presided first battle in history. A Greek saying: “When we go to battle and win, we say it is NIKE. ” Synonymous with honored conquest, NIKE is the twentieth century footwear that lifts the world’s greatest athletes to new levels of mastery and success. Swoosh’ The NIKE embodies the spirit of the winged goddess who inspired the most courageous and chivalrous warriors at the dawn of civilization. (From Nike Consumer Affairs packet, 1996) The Swoosh The Swoosh logo is a graphic design created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. 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 Caroline asked to design a logo which could be placed on the side of a shoe. He handed the swoosh, gave $ 35. 00. In the spring of 1972, the first shoe with the Nike logo was introduced ….. the rest is history! (De Nike Consumer Affairs packet, 1996) A Brief History of Nike The Nike athletic machine began as a small set of distribution located in the trunk of Phil Knight’s car. From these principles and not unfavorable, the brainchild of Knight became the athletic shoe company that would come to define many aspects of popular culture and myriad varieties of cool.

Nike emanated from two sources: Bill Bowerman’s struggle lighter, more durable racing shoes for his Oregon runners, and Knight’s search for a way to earn a living without having to give up his love of athletics. Bowerman track coach at the University of Oregon where Phil Knight ran in 1959. Bowerman desire for better quality shoes clearly influenced Knight operating in their search for a marketing strategy. Between them, the seed of the most influential sporting company grew.

The story is this: to get his MBA at Stanford in the ’60s, Knight took classes with Frank Shallenberger. The semester-long project was to create a small business, including a marketing plan. Synthesis of attention to quality shoes Bowerman and growing view that cost high-quality/low products could be produced in Japan and shipped to the U. S. for distribution, Knight found his niche. Shallenberger thought the idea interesting but certainly no business jackpot. Nothing became Knight project. Cut to 1963.

Phil Knight traveled to Japan on a world tour, filled with the wanderlust of young people looking for a way to delay the inevitable call of professional life. Apparently, on a whim, Knight scheduled an interview with a Japanese running shoe manufacturer, Tiger – a subsidiary of the Onitsuka Company. Presenting himself as the representative of an American distributor interested in selling Tiger shoes American runners, Knight told the businessmen of his interest in your product. Blue Ribbon Sports – the name Knight thought the moments when asked he represented – was born.

Tiger executives liked what they heard and Knight placed his first order for Tigers soon after. In 1964, Knight had sold $ 8,000 worth of Tigers and placed an order for more. Coach Bowerman and Knight worked together, but ended up hiring a full-time salesman, Jeff Johnson. After reaching $ 1 million in sales and riding the wave of success, Knight et. al. devised the Nike name and trademark Swoosh in 1971. By the late ’70s, Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike and went from $ 10 million to $ 270 million in sales.

Katz (1994) describes the success through Nike placement within the matrix of the fitness revolution, “the idea of exercise and game-playing ceased to be something that the average American did for fun” rather Americans returned to work as a cultural signifier of status. Clearly, the circumstances surrounding the change are not that simple, is one of the objectives of this project to discover other generators of popular attention to health. If Nike did not start the fitness revolution, Knight says, “at least there. And we are confident that ran for a hell of a ride” (Katz, 66).

The 80 and 90 produce increased profits as Nike began to assume the appearance of athletic giant, rather than the underdog of old. “Advertising Age” named Nike the 1996 Marketer of the Year, citing the “ubiquitous swoosh … was more recognized and coveted by consumers than any other sports brand – certainly brand” (Jensen, 12/96). That same year, Nike’s revenues were a staggering $ 6. 74 billion. Expect sales of $ 8 billion in fiscal 1997, Nike has targeted 12 billion in sales by 2000. And all from the back of a car. Few can question Nike’s financial hegemony.

But nearly $ 7 billion in revenues clearly begs the question, what sells these shoes? It is my contention that the power of Nike to sell comes from deep longings of cultural integration and sport individual achievement. These seemingly paradoxical desires collide in the hearts and minds of consumers and produce the unyielding zeal for Nike shoes and clothing. Unfortunate effects of this heat can be found in the killings of Nike apparel in 1991, and the profusion of Nike collectors and websites designed around the company’s products. See list of web pages in the Works Cited page) Nike appeals to these disparate elements of Americans’ personalities through an advertising philosophy that is at once simple and sublime. Furthermore, the practice of Nike high-level athletes promoting their products appeal to countless ages and creeds as a way to identify and emulate their sports heroes. These forces act powerfully upon the individual consumer, but we must not lose sight of the cultural context in which the person moves.

“Greeks say when we go to battle and win,we say it is NIKE” INTRODUCTION TO NIKE • Est. in 1960 in Oregon • Phil knight and Bowerman- founder • Started small and now has covered U. S and international markets • Nike is now one of the biggest mfd. Of the world BACKGROUND • Most of the factories are located in Asia including Indonesia,China,Taiwan,India Thailand,Veitnam,Pakistan ,Philippines and Malaysia • Nike outsourcing contracts around 500 factories in 45 countries. Nike currently controls more than 45% of the US sportswear market.

Background cont. • The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger, making most sales at track meets out of Knight’s automobile. • The company’s profits grew quickly, and in 1966, BRS opened its first retail store, located on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. By 1971, the relationship between BRS and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end. ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDY • Child labour • Not satisfying customer needs • Ignorance of mkt. trends Accusations

In 1996-1997, Nike was accused of labor violations and human rights abuses in foreign countries (mainly Asian). Contrary Evidences • Thousands of mostly young, female workers in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, China) were being exposed to reproductive toxins and suspected carcinogens. • Some workers were not earning a “living wage” even though they work oftentimes 12 to 14 hours per day. • Nike workers in Southeast Asia have suffered corporal punishment and corporal abuse. • Nike young female workers have suffered sexual harassment. Nike workers in Southeast Asia have been forced to work overtime in violation of applicable laws. Core issue of Nike NIKE PRATICES CHILD LABOUR • Children are not only the easiest to intimidate, they’re also the cheapest workers. Twelve-year-old Tariq, one of thousands employed in Pakistan’s soccer ball industry, which produces five million balls a year for the U. S. market, stitches leather pieces in Mahotra. He earns 60 cents a ball, and it takes most of a day to make one (Schanberg, 1996: 38).

Silgi is only three. Her hands are so tiny she can’t handle a scissors. But she started stitching soccer balls recently to help her mother and four sisters. Together they earn 75 cents a day working in their shanty home in Jullundur, India (Sidebar to Life Magazine Story, p 41 NOTE: There is a photo (Source) of a young girl dressed in town and soiled clothing next to the soccer ball clutching a needle and thread. The needle is longer than her fingers. • CONSEQUENCES Nike executives have been targets at public place • Students have pressed administrators and athletic directors to ban products that have been made under “sweatshop” conditions • In 2002 an individual sued Nike, alleging that the company knowingly made false and misleading statements in its denial of direct participation in abusive labor conditions abroad. REMEDIES • Nike defended, through corporate news releases, full-page ads in major newspapers, and letters to editors • Nike gave $1. million to the Washington D. C. based Fair Labor Association (FLA) • In 2003, company employed 86 compliance officer • But stigma of past practices remains emblazoned on its image and brand name. Nike’s Responses • Nike responded with… – Press releases – Letters to the newspaper – Personal letters to university presidents and athletic directors – Campus Visits – Independent audit of factories – Speak at conferences COMPILED BY AKRITI JHA DEEPTI SINGH TRIPTI SINGH

Winged Victory Contents Introduction2 Discovering2 Hellenistic architecture and style2 Composition and atmosphere2 Genres and audience3 Conclusion4 Introduction One of the best known works of Hellenistic sculpture is Nike of Samothrace, now located in the Louvre museum in Paris. It is a demonstrative, and powerful sculpture which encapsulates everything great about Ancient Greece. The sculpture is made of Rhodian marble, stands 2. 45 meters tall and 2. 35 meters wide including its wings (Burn, 2004, p. 9). Nike’s sculptor is not well known, however it is presumed to have been constructed by the sculptor Pythokritos (Pollitt, 1986, p. 114) during the early second century BC. Discovering Nike was discovered in 1863 by the French consul and amateur archaeologist Charles Champoiseau, in the sanctuary of the Great Gods at Samothrace where it was originally set up. Nike is traditionally associated with the victories that was obtained by the Rhodian fleet over the Antiochos III off Side and Myonnesos in 190/89 BCE (Ridgway, 2000, p. 50).

The base of the statue is in the form of a ship’s prow (Pollitt, 1986:113), and the goddess is represented as if she has just alighted on the ship, with her wings still beating and her drapery fluttering in the wind. Hellenistic architecture and style This breath taking sculpture was created in the period when baroque style developed. The characteristic features include acanthus column bases, modillion cornices, Corinthian capitals with S-shaped spirals, segmental pediments, half–pediments and curved entablatures (Bugh, 2006:171).

Baroque sculptures are well known for their powerful and immense size, the twist and turn of their body theatrically in space, frequently clad in drapery that is in motion or semi-transparent (Pollitt, 1986:114) Composition and atmosphere A sense of drama is created through the sculptor’s combination of skill at naturalism and his ability to manipulate the elements of the work. The goddess’s wings are widely spread behind her, she leans forward with her right leg and her torso tilted for balance (Burn, 2004: 90).

Her wings, legs and torso create a sequence of boldly opposing diagonals that enrich the idea or impression she gives of being in motion. She becomes a dramatic study of conflicting forces and counter-forces, as she leans forward against the wind (Ridgway, 2000:155). Her breasts, abdomen, right leg, and left thigh is revealed almost as if they were nude by the drapery that is clinging with thin, long, and uneven ripples. Not only heavy but also dynamically irregular shapes and bunches are formed by excess fabric.

Between her legs is a long, uneven arc of cloth that accentuates its motion and implies the counter-force of the wind against her beautiful curved body (Burn, 2004:90). The sculpture draws attention to this downward arc with a swath of drapery that hovers frontward from the goddess’s left hip. The drapery then collides in a V-shape with a longer swath at her pelvis. The fabric at the back soars out behind her in rigid crests. This gives an uneven effect of the drapery, the wind whipping the cloth, similar to the sea below her, into irregular peaks and troughs (Ridgway, 2000;155). The goddess’s wings are very naturalistic.

It contributes to the chaotic, uneven and energetically active tone of the statue. The goddess pushes her wings back as far as possible, and extends them to their full length (Ridgway, 2000:155). It seems as if she is mimicking the behaviour of a bird that is about to land. If one observe her wings closely, from where their crests bent to where they joint half-way, then to their outspread and the textured feathers, it looks like an enlarge copy of Zeus’s eagle’s wings (Pollitt, 1986:116). However there is a difference, which is the lacking of the regular, fan-like arrangement in a bird’s wings.

The Nike’s wings are put mysteriously arranged at odd and overlapping angles to one another, very similar to the folds of the drapery (Ridgway, 2000:155). Though it appears naturalistic, the wings deceive the sculptor’s awareness in the creation of irregular patterns to propose straining and immediate action. The wings thrown out against the real wind creates an effect of imminent landing. This naturalism and exaggerated irregularity develops a sense of actuality and urgency. With her fine detailed wings and corporeal body, this unearthly being is one of the most astonishing Hellenistic art works to be seen (Ridgway, 2000:150).

Genres and audience Hellenistic art is a marked by craft, technical virtuosity. Certain theatrical sense was one of the fundamental characteristics of this time. There was a fondness for dramatical settings, surprizing, and mysterious inner space (Pollitt, 1986:7). Hellenistic baroque sculptures of the third century wanted to immortalize the heroes’s victories. These art pieces encaptured the fortune and trails of heroes in moments of crises, designed to dazzle its audiencethrrough their sheer technical virtuosity (Pollitt, 1986:7).

The sculptures were created with a specific viewpoint in mind, most importantly to “sway the soul” (psychagogia) (Bugh, 2006:172). There is a transitory story in each sculpture and each sculpture emphasizes a specific moment. The dramatic contrasts, exaggerated and distorted forms, the heightened expressions of emotion ads on to the message conveyed by the sculptor (Fowler, 1989:32). To understand them, the viewer must recapture the primeval fascination that the artist drew on in order to endow each of his creations with their own strength and impact.

Conclusion Due to the lack of references in extant texts, the Nike of Samothrace’s political and historical background remains obscure. Looking at this master piece of art work, it almost seems as if the strong wind and waves from below are threatening to overwhelm her (the state). Nike of Samothrace’s primary purpose might have been metaphorical, acting as a “Ship of State,” guiding the state through dangerous waters (Ridgway, 2000: 153). Whatever the purpose of the sculpture was originally meant to be, it will continue to be a mysterious piece of art work.

Works Cited

1. Bugh, G. R. 2006. The Cambridge Companion To Iscrimination in America. New-York, USA: Cambridge University Press. Burn, L. 2004.
2. Hellenistic Art Los Angeles, USA: The British Museum Company. Fowler, B. H. 1989.
3. Wisconsin, USA: The University of Wisconsin Press. Pollitt, J. (1986). Art in the Hellenistic Age. New-York, USA: Cambridge University Press. Ridgway, B. S. 2000.
4. Hellenistic Sculpture II, The styles of ca. 200-100B. C. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Profile: Nike is a cooperation which sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, and sport equipment. Through many retail stores and various distributors, the company sells products to more than 170 countries including the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific (Datamonitor, 2012). Nike is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, USA; it is the top supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and is one of the top manufacturers of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of $20. 862 million in FY ended May, 2011 (Datamonitor, 2012).

Based on geography regions, revenues are generated by Nike through six main regions: North America accounted for 42. 1% of sales, followed by Western Europe (21. 1%), Emerging Markets (15. 2%), Greater China (11. 5%), Central and East Europe (5. 7%); and Japan (4. 3%) (Datamonitor, 2012). Also, Nike is facing with strong competition from Adidas at present. According to James (2012), Nike has 18% market share of the United Kingdom’s markets while Adidas has only 15%. Origins and Key Developments According to Datamonitor (2012), Nike was established in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman.

At the beginning, Nike was known as Blue Ribbon Sports which sold Tiger shoes. At that time, Knight shook hand with the Onitsuka Co in Japan in order to mass-produce products. In 1971, Knight and Bowerman planned to change their company from a footwear distributor to a company designs and manufactures athletic shoes. The name “Nike” was created in 1972 and the brand mark was designed by a student at Portland State University. The mid-1980s was a period of transition when Nike had made a wrong aerobics boom calculation which gave chances for other competitors to develop their businesses.

Fortunately, in 1985, new ideas in a signature shoe for National Basketball Association from Michael Jordan helped Nike improve their performance. By the end of the 1980s, Nike has finished their IPO and became a publicly traded company. At this time, Nike focused on advertising to attract more customers and differentiate themselves from competitors. The 1990s saw the rapid expansion of Nike since there are many Nike’s stores around the US and internationally. By the middle of the 1990s, Nike concentrated on sponsorship to make the company become well-known.

In 2000, Nike created a new innovation called “Nike Shox” and focused on the “Secret Tournament” marketing campaign in 2002. They are continuing to focus on innovative and marketing to differentiate themselves from competitors (Nike, 2012). SWOT Analysis According to Datamonitor (2012), the first of three Nike’s strengths is the market position with strong brand equity. The company became the leader in most of sport’s product segmentation. As a result, their global footwear market share increases from 14% in 2006 to 16% in 2009 (Datamonitor, 2012). In 2011, Nike’s brand value achieved $14. 28 million (Forbes, 2011). Secondly, Datamonitor (2012) pointed out that Nike concentrates on technical innovation and cooperates with other famous companies to create a new range of products. The company is carrying out research to give advisories to athletic, coaches and trainers on effective designs, light materials and develops functions of products. Furthermore, Nike has built the relationship with Apple and has created a product for Apple’s users called Nike+ GPS. Nike+ GPS lets users track their pace, distance, time and calories-burned through their Iphone or Ipod (Nike, 2012).

Consequently, many Apple’s users buy Nike footwear to discover this function on their devices. Finally, Nike has a world-wide distribution channel. They sell their products by means of Nike-owned stores and a mix of independent distributors and licenses around the world. In term of weaknesses, Nike depends too much on third party manufacturers in Asia, such as: vietnam, China, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Indonesia to decrease the costs of production (Datamonitor, 2012). As a result, Nike has not much control of the product quality.

For example, Renonvpilaw (2005) reports that Nike took back about 9,000 units of Nike Get-Go and Little Get-Go children’s athletic shoes which were produced in Indonesia in 2005. Thus, this event makes some impacts on Nike’s image. Nike also has some opportunities to develop the business. First of all, the development of India’s economics within the remove restriction on foreign investment from government make India becomes an attractive market for foreign companies. Datamonitor (2012) shows that the footwear market in India increased 9. 2% and achieved at $4,104. million in 2009. Another opportunity is the rapid development of the global footwear market. According to Datamonitor (2012), the global footwear market rose by 2. 6% and reached $196. 3 billion in 2009 and will achieve $230. 8 billion in 2014. The main threats that Nike is dealing with are the intense competition from Adidas in the international market. Moreover, in the US market, the company has to face cheaper imported footwear from Asia; especially China. It will have some effect on the price of Nike’s products and influence revenues of the company.

In addition, according to BBC News (2009), there are about 8,000 pairs of counterfeit sports shoes from China imported to UK per month. It affects not only Nike’s revenues but also the image of company. Evaluation In spite of depending too much on third parties, there is evidence that Nike will try to tighten management in third party factories. Nike will reinforce inspectors and send them to different factories on the world (BBC News, 2008). These staff will ensure the product is produced following the right standards. Beside that, there are signs which show that Nike will develop well in India.

According to Nike (2012), Nike wrested the rights to become the official kit sponsor for the India cricket team from 2010 to 2015. By this way, they will become famous in India since Indian is a crazy cricket fan. For another, in order to maintain the market leader position, it depends on Nike’s ability to increase innovation and sponsorship to compete with Adidas. Lee and Aiken (2010:250) report that Nike will investigate into High School League in Taiwan to develop a long term relationship between a company and young customer public events.

Thus, Nike will continue to get feedback as well as works on research projects directly with customers, to get experiences in order to innovate their products (Ramaswamy, 2008:11). Finally, Nike will establish the relationship with the police in some countries to avoid counterfeit goods. In Croatia, Nike and Police cooperate together to find out counterfeit goods (Williamette Week, 2011). To summarize, Nike will has chances to develop the company if they continue to maintain the market leader position in term of innovation, taking advantage of sponsorship and having solutions to prevent the development of counterfeit goods.

Bibliography

1. BBC News (2009), Fake shoes valued at ? 1m seized, [Online], Available from: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/7976876. stm [assessed 7 May 2012].
2. BBC News (2008), Gap and Nike: No Sweat? , [Online], Available from: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/970385. stm [assessed 7 May 2012].
3. Datamonitor (2012), Nike Inc: Company Profile, [Online], Available from: www. datamonitor. com [assessed 2 May 2012].
4. Forbes (2011), The World’s Top Sports Brands, [Online], Available from: http://www. forbes. om/2010/02/03/most-powerful-sports-names-tiger-woods-nike-cmo-network-sports-brands. html [assessed 6 May 2012].
5. James, H. (2011), London 2012 Olympics: Adidas aims to beat Nike into second place at Games, [Online], Available from: http://www. telegraph. co. uk/finance/london-olympics-business/8545104/London-2012-Olympics-Adidas-aims-to-beat-Nike-into-second-place-at-Games. html [assessed 6 May 2012].
6. Lee, C. and Aiken, K. (2010), Changing brand associations in Taiwan: Nike’s sponsorship of high-school basketball, Journal of Sponsorship, Vol. 3, May, pp. 50. Nike (2011), Annual Report, [Online], Available from: http://investors. nikeinc. com/Investors/Financial-Reports-and-Filings/Annual-Reports/default. aspx [assessed 4 May 2012].
7. Nike (2011), History & Heritage, [Online], Available from: http://nikeinc. com/pages/history-heritage#tab6-tab [assessed 3 May 2012]. Nike (2012), Nike celebrates India’s cricket team with elite holiday collection, [Online], Available from: http://nikeinc. com/news/nike-celebrates-indias-cricket-team-with-elite-holiday-collection [accessed 4 May 2012].
8. Ramaswamy, V. 2008), Co-creating value through customers’ experiences: the Nike case, Strategy ; Leadership Journal, Vol. 36, pp. 11. Renonvpilaw (2005), NIKE Recall of Children’s Athletic Shoes, [Online], Available from: http://renonvpilaw. com/picontent/products/recalls/product. php? id=76 [assessed 3 May 2012].
9. Williamette Week (2011), NIKE REPRESENTATIVE DESCRIBES COUNTERFEIT GOODS SMUGGLING IN CROATIA, [Online], Available from: http://wweek. com/portland/article-18471-nike-representative-describes-counterfeit-goods-smuggling-in-croatia. html [assessed 7 May 2012].