In this post, I will write as a consumer of products by the brand Nike.
Nike brands itself as a provider of many products, but completely limits itself to the sports industry. This isn't a bad thing, as this specialization has allowed them to not only excel in the sports market, but to dominate the sports market as well.
The company is known for its broad range of products pertaining to the sports industries. Their products range from their most iconic product, their shoes, to team uniforms, to training products, to sports' balls (footballs, basketballs, baseballs, etc.). It is nearly impossible to watch an athletic competition without seeing at least one player wearing something made by Nike, with the norm being entire teams sponsored by Nike with their uniforms, shoes or cleats, and other gear.
They developed their reputation through a combination of amazing marketing and a high-level of consistency in their products' performance. Their remarkable marketing comes through their long-list of superstars that are spokespeople for their products. In the sports world, nobody will buy a product unless the company has a superstar backing the product. This is mainly due to two reasons: if that superstar is willing to use their product, then the product must be good, and if the company is successful enough to afford this superstar, then the product must be good. No company stands close to Nike in terms of superstars representing their product, with Adidas probably being a distant second. The second aspect of their reputation comes from the overall performance of their products. As an owner of many Nike products, I can say that I know when I buy a Nike product, I am getting a good and reliable product, and this has allowed them to build a near-universal customer base. It is probably impossible to find an athlete that doesn't own at least one product of Nike.
In the sports world, people are always looking to get a leg up on the competition, and Nike has built their reputation on the reliability and high-level performance of their products, as well as the constant advancements of their products. This has allowed them to become the go-to brand in the sports market.
You didn't mention any of the superstars by name. I think it worth talking about Michael Jordan. You will like this read about how it all happened. It was a phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteNike may have been good, but they hit the Jackpot with Jordan. For a while they seemed to do something similar with Tiger Woods. I don't believe there is any star out there now who has a similar impact on Nike sales. It's not how good they are as players. It's a charisma thing.
I would definitely agree that there is a very high correlation between a brand and the company's reputation because at least to me a company has to have a similar brand/reputation because if the company is viewed differently than the brand wont be as strong. In addition, I also believe that a company will build its products to reflect this reputation and that helps to build a customer base because the company (Nike) knows what its customers want and the customers know that they are getting a better product than they would get with another company.
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