The Swoosh

Going to the gym today, I noticed that a majority of the people were wearing some sort of Nike product—whether it were shoes, shirts, socks, etc. The plethora of Nike gear made me realize how effective Nike is at creating value for their product just by promoting their brand. Although there are other apparel companies that produce athletic wear that rivals, maybe even surpasses Nike, the Nike Swoosh is a logo that all can recognize and immediately know what the product has to offer. Just talking with my buddies about the product we all agreed that even though competitors such as Under Armor makes quality shirts, we always revert back to buying Nike. We don't go back because of any personal relationships, but because the products provide customer delight.
     To truly understand why the Swoosh is prevalent in places such as the gym is to look at their marketing a strategy, a strategy that revolves around athletics. Nike enrolls and sponsors the best professional athletes from around the world to wear their products on national television. Because these athletes are usually superstars, they are seen on the fields excelling in their sport, winning championships, overall just being a role model for any young fans watching their favorite sport. Under Armor has a similar strategy but got its start in producing shirts, which is what most people imagine when they think of that brand. It wasn't until Under Armor released the "click, clack" campaign for football cleats did they try and capture market share for athletic shoes from Nike. It was too late for Under Armor by then because Nike has always been ingrained in the athletic shoe market. One can think of memorable ads produced by Nike even though they were before their time. For example, the "Bo Knows" campaign is as iconic as Bo Jackson himself, the Michael Jordan ad with Spike Lee is also a keystone advertisement for the brand.
      The moral of the story here is that Nike is at the top of athletic apparel and that does not look to be changing anytime soon. The Swoosh is the king, has been for a long time, and probably will be for a long time. As long as they keep enlisting the support of Hall of Fame athletes and overall superstars, little kids everywhere will grow up idolizing Nike. Not only will these kids be raised on the ethos of their parents, but will also be engrained by Nike's motto "Just Do It".