Fashionable Modern NIKE

The founding date of the world’s largest sportswear and footwear company is 25 January 1964. Nike was called Blue Ribbon Sports until 1978. It was founded by University of Oregon student Phil Knight and athletics coach Bill Bauermann.

Phil Knight

Phil was a middle-distance runner at university, and once asked himself, “Could cheaper Japanese shoes crowd out the famous German Adidas and Puma, popular in the USA?” Graduating in 1962, the young man did not abandon the idea of marketing quality Japanese-made trainers to American athletes.

A trip to Japan turned out to be a success, as Knight managed to find Onitsuka Tiger’s excellent shoe shop. The quality of the product inspired him to start importing it to America. For this Phil had to pass himself off as a representative of a company which did not exist. So the young man became the official distributor of Onitsuka Tiger.

The first batch of trainers he received in 1963, Phil offered them directly on the running track. The shoes quickly sold out but the young man realised that at this rate he would not be able to set up his own business and sought the advice of his university trainer, well acquainted with running shoes.

Bill Bauerman

Bauerman praised the quality and comfort of Tiger shoes and immediately offered Knight a partnership. Their contribution to Blue Ribbon Sports was $500, enough to buy 300 pairs of running shoes. In the first year of business, the men managed to make $8,000 and hire salespeople. During the second year, profits rose to $20,000, allowing them to open a shop in Santa Monica.

Phil succeeded in growing the business, while Bill fountained with ideas to improve the models. Having instilled in Americans a love of jogging, Blue Ribbon Sports becomes the first supplier of affordable footwear in this segment.

Nike Cortez trainer

This model comes courtesy of Bauerman’s design suggestions. And, the incredible popularity of the Cortez is due to the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. These trainers generated $300,000 in profits for the company in 1969. The problem was that the demand for the model outstripped the supply. Onitsuka initially met the demand from the Japanese and only sent a small proportion to the USA. Having waited until the contract with the Japanese company ended, in 1972, the partners set about promoting their business on their own.

Creation of the Nike brand and logo

Current name of the brand comes from Greek goddess Nika. The tick-shaped logo was invented for a small fee by a random girl designer, Carolyn Davidson. The design is known to all as the swoosh.

New story

Nike embarked on a path to prosperity with the creation of a network of subcontractors across Japan. In 1989 the company was recognised as America’s leading manufacturer of sportswear. The most important marketing move was the Just Do It advertising campaign, as well as a strategy of signing sponsorship deals with aspiring athletes who would later become international stars. This helped the brand to gain nationwide recognition and popularity.