[Promotional Strategies Of Nike Shoe Company]

by

Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY1

CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION2

Overview2

NIKE Corporation2

Key factors that influence success of NIKE3

Demand cycles4

Advertising campaigns4

Main customers5

Current Strategies and Goals5

CHAPTER # 2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Industry Analysis7

Customer Analysis13

CHAPTER # 3: METHODOLOGY15

Introduction15

Research Philosophy: Positivism Or Phenomenology15

Research Approach: Inductive Or Deductive16

Research Technique: Qualitative Or Quantitative17

Secondary Research17

Resources18

Nature Of Data18

Ethical Consideration18

Reliability & Validity19

CHAPTER # 4: DISCUSSION20

Analysis21

Target Market Analysis24

Promotional Strategies31

What do you call a company of thinkers?31

What's Left, Then?32

Jordan Isn't Forever33

Nipping at Nike's Heels35

But Who Doesn't Have a Closet Full of Sneakers?36

Taking the Quiet Approach38

Nike's advertising39

Nikes Other Brands for Promotion40

Targeting new Markets for promotion41

External Market Drivers42

Political Drivers43

Socio-Cultural Drivers44

Technological Drivers45

Charity Works46

Competitive Environment47

Porter's Five Forces47

Competitive Advantage because of Promotional activities50

The Swoosh51

Creating a Personality for a Brand53

Routes to Competitive Advantage54

Innovation54

Marketing55

Price55

CHAPTER # 5: CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS56

SWOT Analysis56

Strengths56

Weaknesses57

Opportunities57

Threats58

Recommendations59

REFERENCES61

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Nike was founded in 1972 by Philip Knight and Bill Bowerman. Bowerman is well known in America as the University of Oregon coach. He brought jogging to America, built an unrivalled track and field program at that university, and taught his athletes to seek the competitive advantage everywhere - in their bodies, their gear and their passion.

The Marketing men at Nike would like us believe that the brand is more than a product, it is an experience that we are buying into. Wherever a consumer interacts with the brand - in stores of their own or those of their retail partners, online, through advertising, at events their goal is to elevate that experience through compelling products and human stories.

Nike operates on six continents. It employs suppliers, shippers, retailers and service providers amounting to a total workforce of close to 1 million people. The diversity inherent in such size is helping Nike evolve its role as a global company and achieve vast economies of scale. Nike is trying to include building sustainable business with sound labour practices. Nike has built its empire by transforming the technology and design of its high performance sports gear into high fashion, vastly expanding its pool of potential customers. The market is driven by consumer's appropriation of sports clothing and footwear as general casual wear, and major sports brands such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok which are worn by a wide cross section of the population, the cult celebrity surrounding football in the US also boosts sales of these brands and drives sales of replica shirts.

"Nike is a manufacturer, but really it's just a marketing company." -John Shanley, Securities analyst at Wells Fargo's Shanley in 2003CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION

Overview

The athletic footwear industry is a highly competitive environment where the top four manufacturers hold over 70% of the ...