Just Do It: Analysis of Nike’s Marketing Strategies and Growth Recommendations

Abstract

Nike is a global leader in the athleticwear industry, selling products for all ages, genders, and sizes. The company was founded in 1964 by runner and businessman Phil Knight and his track and field coach, Bill Bowerman, with the goal of creating the perfect running shoe. Since then, Nike has established the iconic Swoosh and “Just Do It” slogan globally. But how has Nike become so renowned, and how have marketing strategies given them an edge over their competitors? And is there anything Nike can do to grow further? The paper investigates Nike’s target consumers, their direct-to-consumer operations, their recent success in e-commerce due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nike’s social media strategies, and consumers’ reasons to support the brand, ultimately understanding and analyzing the marketing strategies that Nike has implemented and their effectiveness. A key component of Nike’s marketing strategy is understanding their consumers: who they are, what they want, and how to best appeal to them. This has fostered Nike’s direct-to-consumer business (which has increasingly become digital in the role of e-commerce), their large social media presence (which increases their brand engagement and awareness), design innovation, strides in diversity, and more. In addition, the paper recommends that for Nike to boost growth, as Nike shifts their focus to e-commerce, they should focus particularly on emerging markets, which are growing markets that often grow faster than other markets. In addition, Nike should collaborate with more brands and personalities and release more styles to help them grow in the future.