The Building Of Brand (Nike)
This shoe placed Nikkei on the map, and after it came out, all other brands had to offer similarly shock-absorbent soles. In 1972, Phil Knight (Nines founder and current CEO), was able to convince several marathoners to wear Nikkei shoes during the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, where the company started. Later, Nikkei ran a campaign saying that “Nines were worn by four of the top seven finishers”. Sponsorship had begun. In October 1 982, Nikkei aired its first three national television ads, during the broadcast of the New York City Marathon.
They ran TV commercials cause back then it was so easy to target their audience: most of them would be watching the marathon. There were fewer channels and fewer media outputs. About Nikkei & Product Positioning Nikkei was named after the Greek goddess for ‘Victory’. Today, it dominates the global sports footwear market. The company started focusing on making running shoes, but over time they became associated with the athlete subculture, which allowed them to expand into other areas. They learned they had to stay within the athletic category though -they tried selling everyday shoes and it didn’t work out.
Currently, it’s the largest seller of athletic footwear and athletic apparel in the world, with over 700 stores worldwide, over 40,000 employees and generating more than $21 billion a year in sales. It’s recognized everywhere by their trademark “swoosh” logo. History Brand Overview Nikkei advertising has become one of the most effective emotional branding examples in the marketing world today. They use the old technique of Heroism to inspire customer loyalty all over the world: the battle is between our lazy side and our healthy side. Our laziness is the villain, and we become the heroes.
We all see the hero in ourselves, and therefore this message appeals to everyone on the planet. The brand strategy isn’t to make you think you need Nikkei gear in order to succeed, but that you actually want it because you succeed. The product is downplayed, and the ego of the customer is lifted up. The Product Dream We are all athletes. We are all heroes. We achieve great things. We win, every single battle. Garage Newell talks about a 5-step formula, that he claims is present in every Nikkei commercial, and it shows the hero overcoming great struggles. That’s the promise: you are a winner, that’s why you choose Nikkei.
