Nike History

In 1957, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman met at the University of Oregon, the first athlete broker and later graduate student of business administration at Stanford University, California, and the second track coach recognized that continuously experienced with new designs for athletic shoes.
Knight was always a man with vision, the thesis of his graduate of Stanford University said that success is to design a high quality product in the U.S., manufacture in Asia, and sell in the U.S. at prices below the then-popular sneakers East Germany.
For the year 1962, Knight contacted the Japanese company Onitsuka Tiger to market their products in the U.S., for which the company created Blue Ribbon Sports and manages to sell its shoes in Oregon, following the provisions in his thesis.
In the middle of the 60 Knight decides to rename the company, renamed Nike. Nike means victory in Greek.

Nike entered the 70 cuts ties with Onitsuka and decides to launch its footwear lines alone. Knight develops the marketing strategy and put a representative of the firm that moves by the teams and universities. The mark gained in popularity and began to market other sporting goods such as shirts and bags.
 
In 1971, Nike commissioned the design of a logo to the student, Caroline Davidson who they marry later, she designed the Swoosh., After giving several sketches, none came to convince him, but because they needed to choose a logo for the boxes were waiting to be printed, took one of them pointing out that over time you end up liking insurance. An interesting fact to note that Caroline received by the Swoosh design $ 35 for one of the best known brands in the world! Fortunately, 12 years later was invited to a surprise dinner where she was given a ring with the symbol of the company and a diamond crimp, plus a percentage of Nike stock.
 
In the eighties Nike, hired an advertising agency, Wieden & Kennedy, start making commercials. It is in these years when young people become fashionable Americans wear sneakers and casual clothes in the street, which Nike has a place and enough hype.
In 1985 comes one of the key moments when Nike decided to bet on a promise of basketball, Michael Jordan of North Carolina, who had recently entered the Chicago Bulls. Nike soon realizes that Jordan is a gold mine and begin to design a whole line of footwear inspired by Michael Jordan as advertised shoes Air Jordan or Air Flight, considered illegal in the NBA this shoe, because it only allowed white, these were black with red, Jordan was for $ 1,000 per game, but the controversy made sales soar. In these years, Nike is also launching one of the most famous slogans in advertising history, which remains valid today. This is "Just Do It."
 
An important factor is the success of Nike Cheap Labor, "its policy led him to Japan and South Korea, and when the unions in these countries raised their voices, Knight moved production to Indonesia and China, very well known for his absent level of protection for human rights. A recent State Department reports that the military rule of Suharto in Indonesia, where Nike has 12 factories, continues to suppress the development of a free trade union movement.
 
The image is the main hallmark of the success of Nike, with heavy investment in advertising and sponsorship of sports celebrities say the company's position as the first sales of sporting goods worldwide.
Phil Knight considered the creator of Sports Marketing retired at age 66 as president of Nike, leaving a solid company with annual sales of more than 13 billion dollars.