Today Nike is the most recognizable brand. The company, which was founded in 1962, very soon managed to overtake other popular sports brands, and its creator is considered richest man USA. He is Phil Knight, who in the sixties was a student at the University of Oregon and at the same time was engaged in middle-distance running. He was interested in the fact that the market offered either too expensive sports shoes (Adidas), or cheap, but very uncomfortable ones. That is, there was no middle-priced option.

Then he and his friend, who was also a coach, decided to order sports shoes from Asian countries and then resell them in the United States. Moreover, they bought shoes for little money in Japan good quality. Thus, a company arose that friends called “Blue Ribbon Sports”, later renaming it Nike. At first, they sold shoes during competitions from the trunk of a car. And already in 1971, the income of this company amounted to more than one million dollars. Today, sports shoes, clothing and accessories from this company are in great demand among consumers. In our country, branded shoes and clothing, bags and backpacks are offered by the Nike Ukraine website. The prices are quite affordable (photo 1).

History of the logo creation

The company received its current name in 1971. She was named after the goddess Nike (Greek goddess of victory). A year later, cooperation with a shoe manufacturer from Japan ends and the company begins to produce sports shoes own production. Then the co-owners of the company decide that a logo is needed. Phil Knight speaks to Caroline Davidson, a student at the University of Portland. At that time, Carolina was studying to become a graphic designer. According to the assignment, it was necessary to depict movement in the logo. Carolina presented the customer with several options and all of them were rejected. But the packaging had to be printed and there had to be some kind of logo on it. Then Phil Knight chose the swoosh as his logo. Moreover, he noted that he does not like the logo, but perhaps over time he will fall in love with it (photo 2).

For her work, student Caroline Davidson demanded only thirty-five dollars. In 1983, she was invited to a meeting with Phil Knight and colleagues. Where, in addition to a warm welcome, she was presented with a gold ring with diamonds and the company logo, as well as a certificate of honor and company shares. However, the amount of shares has not yet been disclosed. Thus, the founder of the company expressed his gratitude to her (photo 3).

Logo meaning

The Nike swoosh signifies the wing of the goddess Nike. In mythology Ancient Greece this goddess symbolized victory. For great warriors, she served as a source of inspiration. The badge was originally presented in the form of a ribbon. After a while it was called "swoosh", which meant a retinue of cut air. The first shoes with this logo appeared on American markets in 1972. In 1995, the logo was recognized as the company's corporate identity and was registered as a trademark (photo 4).

Over the years, the logo has changed a little. It was slightly tilted and blurred. Moreover, it also has a slogan that sounds like this: “Just do it.” For many generations, the swoosh logo has become a way of life. The history of this logo is also an example of how a symbol with a very simple, but at the same time working design, contributed to the success of the brand and even managed to turn the company into the most famous on the planet. Today, Nike continues to develop revolutionary shoes, organizes various sporting events, and sponsors famous athletes (photo 5).

The site's observer studied the history of the company, which built a legendary sports brand over 50 years.

The sports industry, like any other, has many peculiarities, and usually the outside observer only sees the tip of the iceberg, while the key differences go much deeper. For many, sport is, first of all, interesting matches, competitions with an unexpected outcome, support for favorites and hatred of opponents. But this is only the external part of the industry. The success of athletes depends not only on their efforts, but also on the equipment that allows them to gain an advantage over those who do not have it.

It is quite possible that the founders were guided by this idea Nike Phil Knight and Bill Bourman began creating the famous brand in the mid-1960s. Phil was a varsity runner, and Bill coached the local team for many years. Both of them felt the lack of good equipment for competitions affordable price. In fact, the only serious brand in this area at that time was Adidas, but, unfortunately, their sports shoes were too expensive. The products of local companies were not suitable for professional sports.

One day, Knight again wondered where to get high-quality sneakers, and realized that this was a free niche. Some sources say that the idea came to him during a seminar at Stanford Business School. As a result, Knight came up with his own model - purchasing suitable shoes in Asia and reselling them in the USA. To start a business, money was needed, and Knight turned to a man who also knew firsthand about the problems with sports shoes - Bill Bourman. Together they came up with a name for the company - Blue Ribbon Sports.

In 1974, a new important stage in the company's development began. Nike opens production in the USA and employs up to 250 people. In the same year, the promotion of the brand to the markets of other countries began, the first being nearby Canada. Nike is starting to get a lot of press, primarily because of its aggressive campaign to capture the market. At the end of the year, sales reached $5 million, but what was much more important was that the brand became truly recognizable.

When the company first announced itself seriously, its leaders realized several key features the market in which they intended to operate. First, new models should be produced in advance of important sporting events. Secondly, everyone loves athletes - if one of the stars puts on Nike sneakers, then they will become a dream for many fans who want to be like their idol. Third: sport can be fashionable, this will allow you to achieve high level sales

The company demonstrated the first two principles before the 1976 Olympics: during track and field competitions, most athletes wore Nike ridged shoes. Soon after the Olympics, the third rule also worked: running became a popular way to keep fit, which brought the company a huge number of new customers. They all looked up to their idols, who wore Nike. This was reflected in the company's revenue, which reached $25 million in 1977.

Great demand for the brand's sports shoes leads to expansion of production. Nike is opening several new factories in the United States and is also expanding production lines in Asia.

In 1978, integration into other countries of the world was achieved, and it was achieved quite easily: the brand’s shoes sold well in Europe. The start of sales in the Asian market, which had not previously caused any positive reactions among experts, brings the company great profits.

At this time, an important event for the history of sports brands happened: Nike entered into an advertising contract with one of the best tennis players of that time, John McEnroe. Since then, such contracts have become a common practice for promoting the company's products. In the same year, a line of children's shoes went on sale. In addition, Nike managed to take advantage of the problems of its main competitor Adidas and capture about 50% of the US market.

Another thing happens in the late 1970s an important event- Former NASA employee Frank Rudy developed the Nike Air shock-absorbing cushion. The idea did not immediately appeal to sports brands, and many, including Nike, abandoned this idea. As a result, Frank still managed to convince the company's management, although he had previously gone through almost all the major competitors and did not receive consent from them.

This was one of Nike's first product improvements. The next few changes affected the appearance of the models, and the later famous designer Tinker Hatfield was especially successful in this.

In the early 1980s, the company went public and used the money it made from the stock to increase sales of the brand. The main destination was Europe and one of the most popular sports - football. The reason for the reorientation to the European market was the decline in the popularity of running in the United States. It should be noted that the company was still late in changing the line, which ultimately led to a decrease in profits.

It was difficult for the brand to achieve success in this direction: Adidas and Puma had strong positions in Europe. Nike used a proven strategy to promote itself through prominent athletes. In 1982, a contract was signed with the then champion of England, the Aston Villa club.

In the US, the brand has also begun to focus on other sports. Nike was primarily interested in basketball. In the early 1980s, the company's product range began to increase significantly. Previously, Nike created mainly running shoes, but now it has begun to create sports uniforms, tennis rackets, boots and much more. In addition, the company moved away from the concept of creating equipment mainly for men and introduced several women's lines.

The change in course still did not save the company from the decline in sales, which began in 1983 and affected not only the US market, but also Europe, where the brand’s position was also vulnerable. Many cite the reason that Knight handed over control of the company to the vice president of marketing, who had no experience leading such giants. As a result, Knight had to become CEO again in 1985.

In 1984, the company, already established in basketball, signed a contract with one of the most famous players- Michael Jordan. A model of Air Jordan shoes was developed especially for the athlete, which he had to wear during all matches. The league considered the sneakers too bright and banned Jordan from wearing them on the court, but the athlete continued to play in Air Jordan every game, paying fines of $1,000 per game and drawing attention to the brand.

The company continued to make losses in 1985. It became clear that the time had come for drastic changes - a reduction in output and staff layoffs began. The company, on the one hand, reduced its product lines, and on the other, increased marketing costs in order to establish the usual level of sales.

In 1986, sales finally began to grow and reached $1 billion, largely due to changes in the line of women's products, which included casual wear, and the introduction of a line of budget sports shoes called Street Socks. Despite the successes, layoffs did not stop, and over six months, about 10% of the staff was cut.

In 1987, the company was still trying to catch up with competitors who had managed to get ahead during the crisis. The brand's main opponent in the United States was Reebok, which managed to snatch a percentage of the basketball direction from its competitor. During this period it was released new model AirMax sneakers with Visible Air technology, in which the air chamber was specially made visible.

In 1988, to make up for lost time, the company released the previously announced new version Air Jordan III, which was highlighted due to its excellent appearance from Tanker Hatfield, guru in the field sports design. In the same year, the brand’s famous advertising campaign with the slogan “Just Do It” begins. By the way, there is a legend on this score that the slogan was taken from Gary Gilmore, a murderer sentenced to death in 1977, who shouted “Let's do it” a few minutes before execution." Dan Weiden, representative of the advertising agency Weiden & Kennedy , suggested an option with the word “Just”, and the brand’s leaders liked this idea so much that they agreed without further hesitation.

Another version says that the famous phrase was borrowed from the American humanist Jerry Rubin. If you wish, you can find several more options, but all sources agree on one thing: the slogan was created advertising agency Weiden & Kennedy. In the future, “Just Do It” will actually become the second name of the brand and will be recognized as one of the best slogans in history. Phil Knight would later emphasize that he always lived by the motto “Just Do It”: it was with this approach that he founded Nike.

In 1988, the brand's profits increased by $100 million. Nike began an active campaign aimed at promoting its own slogan. By 1989, costs would reach $45 million. This campaign is still cited as an example of aggressive brand promotion. Nike did not skimp on the costs of its organization, collaborating with stars such as Michael Jordan, Andre Agassi and Bo Jackson.

In 1990, an accident occurred that caused a serious public outcry: teenagers killed their peer in order to take Nike shoes from him. Many began to criticize the company for being too aggressive in promoting the brand, which led to the tragedy. But this situation attracted even more attention to the company's products, and sales continued to grow. In the same year, materials began to appear in the press that child labor was used in Nike's Asian factories, and the company had to refute these accusations.

At the same time, Nike acquired Tetra Plastics, a company that produced plastic sole strips. Thanks to excellent sales of shoes with Nike Air technology, the brand has become a leader in the field of sports and fitness. Many analysts agree that the company will soon achieve total dominance in its field. The same year, the Niketown brand store opened. Revenue is also growing, reaching $2 billion.

In 1991, Nike finally managed to catch up with its main competitor in the US market, Reebok. The brand’s position in the European market also became much more stable, where sales reached $1 billion. At the same time, the company still could not achieve leadership, but only kept pace with its competitors. The desire of sports brands to gain control of the European market is perfectly demonstrated by the commercials on MTV Europe, which run almost non-stop.

In the American market, the company's position is strengthened thanks to a lucrative agreement with the Chicago Bulls basketball team, which became champions three times from 1991 to 1993. This record increased the popularity of the brand. In 1991, a new shoe model of the Nike Air Max 180 brand went on sale. The advertising campaign for these sneakers was headed by another star basketball player, Charles Barkley. Despite this approach to promotion, the Air Max 180 did not immediately become popular due to the limited number of colors of the model.

In 1992, Nike celebrates its anniversary. The company's revenues hit $3.4 billion. Phil Knight, at an official event in honor of the holiday, announced a plan to turn the company into the world's largest brand, using the old slogan: this is not the end. Nike announces the opening of new brand stores around the world and the release of revolutionary products and, of course, invests in advertising.

In the same year, a new Niketown appears. At the pretentious opening, the company's management announced that it would become a kind of Disneyland for all lovers of a sports lifestyle. The brand continues to promote the idea that sports and Nike are one and the same. Anyone who loves sports should come to Niketown sooner or later.

At the same time, one of the most important events in the history of sports business takes place. The US basketball team, led by Jordan, won the Olympics, but refused to wear a special winner's uniform for the awards, because most of the team members signed a contract with Nike and could not wear competitors' products. This came as a shock to the sports world: no one expected that equipment manufacturers now control everything in sports.

In 1993, three more Niketowns opened in the United States. The company continued its work in basketball, extending contracts with Jordan and Barkley, as well as reaching agreements with several new stars. The new agreements had a real impact on the life of the athlete, in particular, they determined which events he should appear at. Increasingly, publications began to appear in the media that sport has become a business.

In addition, the brand is launching a series of sporting events - Nike Step. At the end of the year, Phil Knight was unexpectedly declared the most influential person in sports. For the first time in history, this title was given to a sports equipment manufacturer rather than a player or club president.

Until the mid-1990s, the company's position became increasingly stronger. In 1995, Nike achieved dominance in the American market, finally defeating Reebok. In Europe, sales reached $3 billion. The company does not stop there and continues to expand its product line. In 1994, Nike acquired one of the leading developers of hockey equipment, Canstar, which was eventually renamed Bauer Hockey. In 1995, the brand invested in the future by signing a contract with a young golfer who would later contribute much to the history of this sport - Tiger Woods.

The trend of revenue growth continued, and in 1997 the company set a revenue record of $9.19 billion. However, most of it was provided by the American market, and the company received a total of about $2 billion from Asia and Europe. The company became too dependent on the US market: any changes the tastes of the brand's dominant audience - teenagers - led to a decrease in sales. The first bell sounded in 1998, when third-quarter profits fell to a record low over the past decade and a half. One of the main reasons was the crisis in Asia, where sales also decreased. The company carried out a partial restructuring and began, as in the mid-1980s, to reduce product lines and the number of employees. Before 1999, about 5% of the staff was fired.

The situation was aggravated by public protests against Nike's approach to organizing labor in Asia: it came to open actions and boycotts of goods. In an attempt to rectify the situation, Nike decided to amend contracts with employees of the company's factories, made information about working conditions in production facilities publicly available, and agreed to conduct an inspection with independent experts. However, this problem has not yet been completely resolved, and from time to time Nike is again drawn into scandals related to poor working conditions.

An attempt was also made to return the brand to public popularity: the campaign to create playgrounds and distribute equipment in poor neighborhoods and third world countries became widespread.

Nike management concluded the reason for the decline in sales: the brand did not pay attention in time to the growing popularity of extreme sports. The company began producing a corresponding line of products, which, as usual, featured an original design.

In 1999, Nike began to work on the Internet - primarily through great videos. In the future, viral videos will become one of the brand’s calling cards. At the same time, online sales also started. This year, Nike's action in Yugoslavia during the famous conflict was loud: the company placed peacekeeping messages on billboards in Belgrade.

In 2000, Nike introduced new Shox technology - it was the world's first mechanical shock absorption system in shoes. The company had the technology back in the late 1980s, but it was only used for the first time now.

Gradually, all these innovations allowed the company to restore its revenue level, and in 2001 a new revenue record was set, amounting to $10 billion. In the early 2000s, the company introduced several high-profile advertising videos. Just look at the video with Marion Jones, who won three gold medals at the Olympics in 2000 - in the video she was running away from a maniac. The video ended at the most interesting point, and each viewer could suggest his own ending on the Nike website, and best ideas were published. In the same year, the face of the brand changed: the place of Jordan, who retired from the sport, was taken by Tiger Woods, who received a contract worth $100 million.

The audience was delighted by the “Cage” commercial, in which twenty of the world’s most famous football players competed in a mysterious football tournament. The video is still considered one of the best in history. Integration into the football industry did not end there: in 2002, Nike completed a deal with Manchester United worth $486 million, which strengthened the Red Devils' position as the richest club in the world at that time.

At this time, the company moved to actively increase production capacity by absorbing competitors. In 2003, Converse, the manufacturer of the famous sneaker model, was acquired. The deal cost Nike $305 million.

The same year, the company signs a contract with LeBron James, presenting him as the new Michael Jordan. A new model of the company's Air Max 3 sneakers appears, which were positioned as the first running model. AM3 has become quite popular - largely due to its sophisticated minimalist design.

In 2004, the world was shocked by the news that the company's permanent president, Phil Knight, was resigning from his post. His son Matthew was supposed to take the place of head of Nike, but he died in an accident, and William Perez became the new head of the company.

In the same year, a new stage of the campaign begins against poor working conditions at Nike factories in Indonesia and Vietnam. Information has surfaced that 50 thousand workers in Indonesia earn as much in a year as brand officials earn in a month. The company had to work hard to reassure the public. Still, quarterly revenue rose 25% this year, Nike's best ever.

In 2005, the company introduced a new model of Nike Free 5.0 sneakers, which caused criticism due to the fact that they quickly wore out during active training. In the future, shoes in this series will be significantly improved.

In the same year, another important event took place - Reebok, broken during a long struggle with Nike, became part of Adidas, and now both of the company's main competitors began to oppose it together. However, Nike's position looked unshakable: the company controlled 32% of the global sportswear market, which was almost twice as much as its competitors.

The same year, “Ronaldinho: A Touch of Gold” appeared, in which the famous football player hits the crossbar four times without allowing the ball to touch the ground. This video received the Silver Lion at the Cannes Advertising Festival.

In 2006, William Perez was removed from his post as head of the company by Mark Parker. The main reason was that Perez did not fully understand the brand. Parker, unlike his predecessor, had worked at the company since the early 1980s, and Nike's history was made before his eyes. The reshuffle played a fateful role in the further development of the brand. Parker proved to be a talented CEO: he made the changes that were needed to strengthen Nike's dominant position in the market. One of them was an almost complete transition to our own points of sale instead of the widespread use of official distributors.

At the same time, a new model of Air Max 360 sneakers was released, the main feature of which was the elimination of foam in the sole. This time the design was entrusted to the young designer Martin Lotti.

Another important event took place this year - Nike+iPod, developed jointly with Apple, was presented to the public. The device was positioned as a way to listen to music and play sports without unnecessary worries. Thanks to an accelerometer built into Nike shoes and a special receiver connected to an iPod, it recorded all the necessary information: pace, distance, lost calories. It could be used while jogging and even during aerobics.

Many argue that the friendship of the brands was not limited to the joint release of goods and Mark Parker, in the early stages of his presidency, often consulted with Steve Jobs. In the future, the giants will reach a new level of cooperation and Tim Cook will even join the board of directors of Nike.

In 2007, tensions between Adidas and Nike rise again. The German concern rebranded Reebok and prepared to attack its competitor. However, this was not so easy to do: Nike had almost complete control over basketball (95% of the direction), in addition, thanks to an effective approach to design and innovation, the company had a strong position in the production of sports shoes. To build even more capacity, Nike acquired British sports equipment manufacturer Umbro in 2007. So the company was going to advance Adidas in football, where the German giant still had leadership.

The deal was officially completed in 2008, as a result of which Nike's revenue exceeded $18 billion. Thus, the American brand increased its lead over Adidas. Nike+iPod Gym was introduced in September of this year. At the same time, the company noted an increase in sales in China, which led brand executives to believe that it could easily achieve dominance in this market. In the end, it turns out that they were hasty in their conclusions, and Nike will have to significantly change their operating model in order to conquer the Chinese market.

In 2010, the company’s “Write the Future” campaign starts on social networks. The video made for her becomes one of the most popular on the Internet, and some media outlets will later call it cursed, because most of its participants failed the tournament. During the campaign, fans were asked to vote for the player who would change the world and send a message. The campaign is considered one of the best examples of using social media for viral marketing.

In 2010, the FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa, for which Nike developed a series of boots. At the company's initiative, some football players' uniforms were made from recycled materials. plastic bottles, collected in Asian countries - this is how Nike tried to demonstrate its respect for nature. In the same year, the brand signed a new contract with Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo, the deal amounted to $8.5 million per year.

In 2011, another advertising campaign for The Chosen brand was launched, the purpose of which was to promote extreme sports among young people. Social networks have again become the main platform. The campaign began with a countdown indicator until the video was released online. Two weeks before it, a 33-second teaser appeared online. The video itself was filmed in Bali, Indonesia and New York. Simultaneously with the promotional video, a film appeared on the Internet with a story about how its filming took place. In addition, a competition was held in which participants were invited to make their own video about extreme sports.

In the same year, a campaign was held in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to present the new Vapor Flash running jacket - light reflection technology allowed it to literally glow in the dark. 50 athletes wearing these jackets moved around Vienna at night and constantly transmitted their location to the website. Everyone was invited to take a photo of one of them along with the number on their jacket and receive a reward of €10 thousand. Needless to say, the action created a real sensation.

In 2011, a commercial was shot to promote the new Zoom Kobe Bryant VI sneaker model. As usual, the company did not skimp on costs: the video was shot by the famous director Robert Rodriguez. The final product, in the form of a trailer for the film “Black Mamba,” in which Bryant played a basketball player fighting off hordes of enemies led by Bruce Willis, was received with delight by the audience.

In 2012, another common product between Nike and Apple appeared - Fuelband, a sports bracelet that can be synchronized with any Apple gadget. It was presented as a device that tracks the burning of every calorie, after which it sends the data to the selected gadget. The giants were sued for this bracelet: the plaintiffs noticed that the advertising was not true, the product did not track all the calories burned during exercise. As a result, the companies agreed to pay all victims $15 in cash or $25 in the form of a gift card.

In the same year on Twitter there was

1 August 2015, 21:54

Most American and European sportswear brands have moved their production to countries with cheap labor. Even some Ukrainian and Russian enterprises, registering a brand abroad, sew clothes in China.

The history of this great German brand can begin with the birth of its founder, Adolf Dassler. After World War I, the Dasslers decided to organize their own business, namely a shoe-making workshop. By 1925, Adi, as an avid football player, made his first pair of shoes with spikes. A local blacksmith forged it for him, and thus the first boots were born. They turned out to be so comfortable that they began to be produced at the factory along with slippers.

In the late 40s, after the death of the head of the family, the brothers quarreled and divided the company. They divided the factories, each brother got one, and agreed not to use the old name and logo of Dassler shoes. Adi decided to name his brand Addas, and Rudi - Ruda, but soon their names changed to Adidas and Puma, respectively. The Dassler brand was successfully forgotten.

Columbia

Columbia Sportswear Company - American company produces and sells clothing for active rest(outdoor).

The company was founded by German emigrants of the second wave with Jewish roots- Paul and Marie Lamfrom. The Columbia company was founded in 1937 in Portland and was engaged in the sale of hats. The name Colombia Hat Company appeared in honor of the river of the same name, which flowed near the place of residence of the Lamfrom family.

The hats that Colombia sold were of poor quality, so Paul decided to start his own production, namely, sewing shirts and other simple work clothes. Later, the founders' daughter sewed a fishing jacket with big amount pockets. This was the first jacket in the company's product range, and its sales brought some fame to the factory.

Nike Inc. is an American company, a world-famous manufacturer of sporting goods. Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, USA. The company was founded in 1964 by student Phil Knight. He was a middle distance runner for the University of Oregon. In those years, athletes had virtually no choice in sports shoes. Adidas was expensive, about $30, and regular American sneakers cost $5, but they hurt my feet.

To remedy the situation, Phil Knight came up with a brilliant scheme: order sneakers from Asian countries and sell them on the American market. At first, the company was called Blue Ribbon Sports and did not officially exist. The sneakers were sold literally from hand, or rather from Knight’s minivan. He simply stopped on the street and started trading. During the year of its existence, the company sold $8,000 worth of sneakers. Later, the Nike logo was invented.

Nike became widely known for its "waffle" sole, which made the shoe lighter and gave it a little more propulsion while running. It was this invention that brought Nike to the forefront.

The history of Puma begins simultaneously with the history of Adidas, since the founders of the brands are brothers. (see Adidas history). Rudolf founded his own company, Puma, in 1948. . In 1960, the world saw the company's new logo, an image of the beloved member of the cat family - the puma.

For many years the company worked exclusively for athletes. By the early 90s, Puma found itself on the verge of bankruptcy. Consumers viewed the brand as imitative and unimpressive. The new management set a new goal - to make the Puma brand the most creative and desirable. Central to the revival was the decision to develop footwear and apparel aimed at niche segments such as snowboarders, racing fans and yoga enthusiasts.

Reebok is an international sportswear and accessories company. The headquarters is located in the Boston suburb of Canton (Massachusetts). It is currently a subsidiary of Adidas.

Reason for founding British company Reebok became a completely logical desire for English athletes to run faster. So in 1890, Joseph William Foster made the first running shoe with spikes. Until 1895, Foster was engaged in handcrafting shoes for top-level athletes.

In 1958, two of Foster's grandchildren founded a new company and named it after the African gazelle - Reebok. By 1981, Reebok's sales profits reached $1.5 million, but the most big success Reebok was in next year. Reebok introduces the first sports shoe specifically for women - a fitness sneaker called the FreestyleTM.

Sportmaster

Demix- a brand of sportswear and footwear created by the Sportmaster chain of stores (sporting goods in Ukraine and Russia). The company was originally founded in Russia in 1992. Sportmaster came to Ukraine in 1996.

Appeared trademark Demix in 1994. As you know, making clothes is cheap in China and designing sportswear and shoes is inexpensive. This is how cheap sports uniforms and shoes appeared on the shelves of Sportmaster. The price of Demix products is at least 50% lower than those of global brands like Adidas or Nike.

Reebok operates factories in Russia, and all Puma is produced in Asia.

Most American and European sportswear brands have moved their production to countries with cheap labor. Even some Ukrainian and Russian enterprises register a brand abroad, in China.

Columbia

Columbia Sportswear Company - An American company produces and sells outdoor clothing.

The company was founded by second-wave German emigrants with Jewish roots - Paul and Marie Lamfr. The Columbia company was founded in 1937 in Portland and was engaged in the sale of hats. The name Colombia Hat Company appeared in honor of the river of the same name, which flowed near the place of residence of the Lamfrom family.

The hats that Colombia sold were of poor quality, so Paul decided to start his own production, namely, sewing shirts and other simple work clothes. Later, the founders' daughter made a fishing jacket with many pockets. This was the first jacket in the company's product range, and its sales brought some fame to the factory.

Nike became widely known for its "waffle" sole, which made the shoe lighter and gave it a little more propulsion while running. It was this invention that brought Nike to the forefront.

Reebok is an international sportswear and accessories company. The headquarters is located in the Boston suburb of Canton (Massachusetts). It is currently a subsidiary of Adidas.

The reason for the founding of the British company Reebok was the logical desire of English athletes to run faster. So in 1890, Joseph William Foster made the first running shoe with spikes. Until 1895, Foster was engaged in handcrafting shoes for top-level athletes.

In 1958, two of Foster's grandchildren founded a new company and named it after the African gazelle - Reebok. By 1981, Reebok's sales reached $1.5 million, but Reebok's biggest success came the following year. Reebok introduces the first sports shoe specifically for women - a fitness sneaker called the FreestyleTM.

The material uses information from open sources, manufacturing companies, finance.tochka.net sources

Nike, Inc. is an American company, a world-famous manufacturer of sporting goods. Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, USA.

Foundation of the company

Usually every new company occupies a new niche, or wins it from someone, providing a product or service better or cheaper. Both options are associated with Nike.

The company was founded in 1964 by student Phil Knight, a middle-distance runner at the University of Oregon, and his coach Bill Bowerman. In those years, athletes had virtually no choice in sports shoes. Adidas was quite expensive - 30 dollars, it was of high quality, and ordinary American sneakers cost 5 dollars, but they hurt my legs, especially after running. If professional athletes could afford Adidas, then for amateurs the situation was sad.

To remedy this situation, Phil Knight came up with a brilliant scheme - to order sneakers in Asian countries and sell them on the American market. While earning an MBA from Stanford in the 1960s, Knight took classes in Frank Shallenberger's class. The task at one of the seminars was a business development strategy for a small private firm, including a marketing plan. According to Nike legend, it was at this marketing seminar that Knight came up with the concept for the company. At first, the company was called Blue Ribbon Sports and did not officially exist.

In 1963, Phil Knight goes to Japan - in those days work force was cheap there, and entered into a contract on behalf of Blue Ribbon Sports with the Onitsuka company to supply sneakers to the USA. At first, the sneakers were sold literally from hand, or rather from Knight’s minivan. He simply stopped on the street and started trading. He was 26 years old and loved his business.

Within a year of its existence, the Company sold $8,000 worth of sneakers and hired its first employee. It turned out to be Jeff Johnson, a sales manager; by the way, they say that it was he who came up with the idea of naming the company Nike. Nike is a Greek goddess who symbolizes victory, and it was in her honor that the company was named.

In 1971, a student at the University of Portland, Caroline Davidson, came up with the Nike logo (in common parlance - snot). She did it for ridiculous money in today's times - 30 dollars. True, later, when the company grew, Phil Knight gave her a figurine of the Nike logo with diamonds and a number of company shares, which does him honor.

Inventions

By 1973, the company was quite famous; it had already sold more than $1 million worth of sneakers, but the net profit was not large. Nike became widely known for its waffle sole. And Bill Bauer came up with it while sitting in the kitchen and looking at his wife’s waffle iron. The waffle outsole was actually a ridged outsole on a running shoe that allowed the shoe to be lighter and provide a little more propulsion while running. It was this invention that brought Nike to the forefront. This was also facilitated by fitness fashion, so the sneakers sold well.

Leader

Nike's main competitor at that time was Adidas, and in my opinion the situation has not changed to our time. These two companies are vying for first place in the market. But in 1973, Adidas was not worried better times and therefore Naku managed to beat him and gain 50% market share.

Nike Air

Probably everyone knows the famous series of Nike Air sneakers. And it was invented back in 1979 by aviation engineer Frank. At first, he looked for where he could implement it and turned to Nike, where he was refused. Other shoe companies also rejected him and he returned to Nike and was more persistent and they signed a contract with him. The essence of the technology was to create a cushioning system for sneakers that would extend the life of the shoe. Built into sneakers air bag really increased the lifespan of the sneakers. Frank Paris lived up to the expectations placed on him when the contract was concluded.

First in advertising

Throughout its activities, Nike has collaborated with famous athletes and sports organizations, but the most famous contract was signed in 1985 with Michael Jordan, then he was just beginning his career. The contract was concluded during a period of decline in demand for Nike products. At that time the company was trying to produce fashionable shoes, which was more intended for ordinary people and was less associated with sports, for some reason consumers didn’t like it. But thanks to advertising, Nike returned profit and strength to the brand.

Jordan actively advertised Nike, played in them, and what’s more, Air Jordan sneakers were specially designed for Michael Jordan. The black and red color scheme, banned in the NBA, resulted in Michael being fined $1,000 for each game he played. But he was paid much more for advertising.

Sport

Nike has become a symbol of world sports. After basketball there were the Olympics, baseball, hockey, golf and other sports. True, Adidas still dominated football. In the 90s, the company experienced many changes. First, its organization was reconstructed. Independent divisions responsible for one or another sport have appeared.

Now if you look at the World Cup, Nike is quite common, almost on par with Adidas. This was facilitated by the company's activity on the Internet.

Our days

Nike created social network dedicated to basketball. In addition, the company is trying to be on the crest of the wave. Today, Nike is making full use of a newfangled trend called hand-made, when the consumer wants to create a product with their own hands. He can do this on one of the company's websites. Naturally, you can also order a model of sneakers created by your imagination. In addition, in the 21st century, the company entered into a contract with Apple, under the terms of which the two giants began to produce the Nike+iPod set, in which the player was connected to sneakers, thanks to which it could report statistical data about the run to the owner.

Nike continues to sponsor famous athletes, host sporting events, and develop revolutionary sports shoes today. The company believes that if a person has a body, then he is in any case an athlete. Which means its target audience.

However, this does not mean that the company has no problems at all. Nike also has them. In particular, a number of problems are constantly caused by not the most pleasant situations with workers in factories in third world countries where Nike sneakers are created. There is not only extremely low wage, around 40 dollars a month, but also child labor. The company is trying to combat this situation, but it is not always effective.

In addition, such working conditions have problems in a number of factories in China, where the release of harmful substances exceeds all permissible standards. Poor medical care for employees. Nike is trying to control such moments and stop them. But in order to effectively solve these situations, large investments are needed in infrastructure and in production, which giants such as Nike are transferring to Asia solely because low prices. It is unlikely that companies are eager to invest large amounts of money there.