Nike sells an assortment of products including shoes and apparel for sports activities like association football basketball running combat sports tennis American football athletics golfand cross training for men women and children. Nike also sells shoes for outdoor activities such as tennis golf skateboarding association football baseball American football cycling volleyball wrestling cheerleading aquatic activities auto racing and other athletic and recreational uses. Nikes world headquarters are surrounded by the city of Beaverton Oregon but are technically within unincorporated Washington County. Nike has more than 700 shops around the world and offices located in 45 countries outside the United States.
Nikes first national television commercials ran in October of 1982 during the broadcast of the New York Marathon. Nike originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by University of Oregon track athlete Phil Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. Nike sells its products in international markets through independent distributors licensees and subsidiaries. Nikes first professional athlete endorser was Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase and the companys first track endorser was distance running legend Steve Prefontaine.
From Nikes perspective the company one of only two Fortune 500 employers still headquartered in the state of Oregon (Precision Castparts is the other) has such a large payroll in the area that it should not be forced to be annexed into Beaverton without its consent. Nikes record of child labour forced overtime and poor pay in its factories clearly shows it has very little real concern for the Lives of All Youth. In November 1998 the White House task force on sweatshop issues (Nike is a member of the task force) announced its agreement.
Nike has recently introduced cricket shoes called Air Zoom Yorker designed to be 30% lighter than their competitors. In 2008 Nike introduced the Air Jordan XX3 a high performance basketball shoe designed with the environment in mind. However it also engineers shoes for discount stores like Wal-Mart under the Starter brand. All of Nikes boots and shoes are developed in conjunction with a team of adventure racing athletes and mountain guides who help design the shoes from the trail up – testing them in training and expeditions and reporting back to Nikes lab. While developed by core adventures the shoes are meant to appeal to as everyday athletes who depend on their footwear to handle the rigors of trail and stream. Those looking for the best traction on rock should look for a All-Trac sticky outsole which is featured on some lightweight boots adventure racing shoes and approach shoes. The advantage is the soft rubber is among the best traction you can get short of a climbing shoe but it is a marking sole and is best worn outdoors.
Nikes marketing strategy is an important component of the companys success. Nike is positioned as a premium-brand selling well-designed and expensive products. Nike lures customers with a marketing strategy centering around a brand image which is attained by distinctive logo and the advertising slogan: Just do it. Nike responded that the false advertising laws did not cover the companys expression of its views on a public issue and that these were entitled to First Amendment protection.