| Nike, Inc., NYSE: NKE is an American company, the worldwide famous manufacturer of sportswear. The headquarters is located in Beaverton, Oregon.
History:
Initially, Nike was founded in 1964 by student Philip Knight, a middle-distance runner in the Oregon University team and his coach Bill Bowerman. First the company was called “Blue Ribbon Sports” and specialized in jogging shoe (sneakers) orders in Asian countries and their subsequent sale in the American market. The first independently designed product of the company are sneakers, based on a wafer-shaped design of sole, “peeped” by Bowerman near waffle iron.
In 1966, the company opened the first retail shop. The trade mark “Nike” appeared for the first time in 1971 – football boots were manufactured under this brand. In 1978, Blue Ribbon Sports was officially renamed to Nike, Inc. (It is considered, that the name is taken from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory).
On October 23, 2007, the company bought the brand Umbro, the manufacturer of sportswear and footwear for 580 million USD.
Proprietors and management:
Chairman of the board of directors of the company — Phillip Knight and the president is Mark Parker.
Activity:
Nike is one of the largest manufacturers of sports goods in the world. The products are manufactured under the brand name Nike, Air Jordan, Total 90, Nike Golf, Team Starter, etc. Also, Nike controls the companies which manufacture the goods under the brand names Bauer, Cole Haan, Converse and Hurley International.
Sneakers Nike Air
Indicators:
Overall strength of the company – 26.7 thousands (2006 yr);
The turnover of the company for the year 2006 was $16.3 Billion (in 2005 - $14.9 Billion), net profit - $1.5 Billion ($1.3 Billion).
Advertising and sponsor's activity:
Nike - one of the major advertisers, emphasizing mainly in television advertisements with the participation of worldwide renowned stars such as Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimiovic, Fernando Torres, Franc Ribery, Florent Malouda, Michael Jordan, etc. Also, Nike is widely known for having major sponsorship contracts with world famous sportsmen and sports teams, especially in football. Football clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan and national football teams such as Brazilian, Croatian, Netherlands, Portuguese, Serbian, Turkish, Belgian and Slovenian have signed contracts with Nike.
“Swoosh” (Emblem of Nike)
The world famous “Swoosh” (simulating the wing of the goddess Nike) was designed by a student-designer of Portland University Ms. Carolyn Davidson in 1971, for which she received a fee of $35. This emblem quickly became widely recognizable and became one of the most popular brands in the world. As a sign of gratitude, chairman Mr. Phillip Knight presented her with a golden ring engraved with the “Swoosh” and company shares in 1983 (the sum is disclosed).
“Be a source of inspiration and innovation for all athletes around the world. If you have a body - you are the athlete...” The mission of the brand Nike. |
While other companies report drops in profits, Nike just keeps doing better and better. In other words, no matter how hard the times are, the Swoosh just keeps "doing it".
