Nike: Just do it. It reflects the emphasis on individualization in Nike's corporate culture. Whether it is work, life, or sports, just do it when you think of it. Sports, performance, free and easy sportsmanship” is the personalized corporate culture that Nike pursues.

Nike’s personalized marketing

1. Background information

Nike was founded in the 1960s. At that time, the company's CEO Phil Knight concluded that high-end and high-quality running shoes would be marketable, so he launched a revolution in the shoemaking industry. By the 1980s, he brought prosperous sports shoes to the market. The company has become a marketing machine. Since 1986, the company's stock returns have increased by an average of 47% per year. From 1986 to 1996, Fortune magazine ranked the company among the top 1000 companies in the United States. Within the name. Currently, the company has become a sports machine, hosting events such as golf tournaments, and also selling sports equipment and clothing.

2. The personality of Nike culture

(1) Personalize the company culture

“Sports, performance, and free and easy sportsmanship” is the personalized company culture that Nike pursues. This distinctive company culture is contrary to tradition. Concept's corporate identity was created by company founder Philip Knight.

Nike was founded as Le Cordon Bleu Sporting Goods, and was written by Knight when he was a student at Stanford Business Graduate School. A paper was created for the simulation. Knight randomly collected the thoughts of some track and field athletes and sports fans and wrote them in the article. They had the same goal in mind: to defeat Adidas and make more and more athletes. Put on the high-quality and low-price running shoes produced in Japan - Tigers.

As the founder of the company, Knight has always integrated his endless personal struggle and business ethics into the operation of the company. After Knight was selected for the track and field team of the University of Oregon and became a professional middle-distance runner, his passion for sporting goods was worn away. Later, he worked as an accountant at a price waterhouse in Poland for 5 years, and his business awareness was also revealed. Developed at that time. Oregon's legendary track and field coach Bill Ball always made custom running shoes for his star athletes. He told Knight that a track and field team is composed of individual players, and each person must. Never-endingly working hard to improve his or her performance, the track athlete's creed is: "There is no end point" and the inspiration given by Price Waterhouse is "the most basic principles of business behavior." The history of Nike is based on the above two creeds. The process of dialogue is a process of harmonizing the personal struggle spirit of athletes with commercial constraints. Knight and Bowerman began to co-found Blue Ribbon and changed its name to Nike in 1972. From then on, it began to design belts. The company's trademark shoes were produced in Asia.

Never-ending was Nike's corporate culture. At that time, Adidas, Puma and Tiger dominated the American sports shoe market in the early 1970s. Gradually, millions of people began to wear sports shoes, because sports shoes are not only comfortable to wear, but also a symbol of health and youth - this is the image that most people aspire to. Sports shoes are about to become popular, but " The "Iron Triangle" did not grasp this development trend, but "Nike" ran into it. In 1974, Coach Bowerman fiddled with a urethane rubber in a waffle iron mold to make a new type of shoe sole. This kind of sole is a "Wall biscuit" type, and there are small rubber round nails on the sole, making it more elastic than other popular soles on the market. This seemingly simple product innovation has promoted Knight's business. Quickly opening up the market, Nike's sales window in 1976 soared from US$8.3 million the previous year to US$14 million. Nike grew like wildfire. The company spent heavily to develop new styles of running shoes. By the late 1970s, Nike had nearly 100 researchers, many of whom had backgrounds in biology, chemistry, experimental biology, engineering technology, and industrial design. degrees in science, chemistry and a variety of related leadership. This strong research force has developed more than 140 different styles of products, many of which are the most novel and technologically advanced in the market. These styles are designed for different foot types, weights, running speeds, training programs, gender and different skill levels. These products of different styles, different prices and multiple uses have attracted thousands of runners and made them feel that Nike is the manufacturer that provides the most complete range of running shoes. Millions of people of all kinds and abilities Runners have this mindset, and it's a very attractive image in a growing industry.

Relying on the never-ending corporate philosophy, by 1979, through planning the launch of new products and strong promotion, Nike's market share reached 33%, and finally squeezed into the original Adidas, Puma and Tiger. Build the "Iron Triangle" and become a sales star. By 1981, its market share even reached 50%, far ahead of Adidas, and Knight himself entered the coveted list of the 400 richest people in the United States by Forbes magazine.

Nike is a pioneering company with an adventurous spirit. It has cultivated a well-designed culture in the verdant Oregon state where the company is located. A senior Nike manager once recalled: "It was like being in an environment full of brotherhood. "Every six months, Knight's management team meets to discuss strategy." This noisy party is known for its "tit for tat". Knight always encouraged and even encouraged confrontation, and he, like everyone else, accepted loud accusations from others. The location of the Nike enterprise, like the campus, has forests, jogging trails, lakes, and football fields. Knight hopes to create a peaceful work environment. He believes that the world is chaotic enough and that work time should be as free as home.

Nike's distinctive corporate culture attracts a large number of young people. 40% of Nike employees are under 30 years old. Their day's work is arranged like this; at noon, they exercise two hours in the sports and leisure center on the "campus" Hours and then working until night, they are very loyal to the company, Nike's management is not rigorous, but the strong belief that must break Adidas unites the entire team. The company's marketing staff said: "We can instinctively judge what Nike does and what Nike doesn't do." Because Adidas belongs to the orthodox, Nike can attach great importance to recognizing those who deeply hate orthodoxy. Athletes like Steve Prefontaine, the James Dean of track and field, sneered at the Amateur Athletic Union, and the “outrageous” Eli Nastase, the tennis equivalent of Creepy characters. After these anti-traditional athletes were funded by Nike, they gave Nike an image of challenging orthodoxy and enterprising energy. Knight was as passionate about the company he founded as he was about his own children. He was very involved in the company's affairs every day, going in and out of the office whenever he thought it was necessary. Knight spent most of his time in the cabin next to his office. Dirty laundry lay on the floor of the cabin next to piles of stuff and papers. With almost no one else coming into his house, Knight complained: "Once you let people into your house, they're going to be in and out all day long." , and what I need is to think about things."

Nike had better eventually defeat Adidas in the U.S. market with its own entrepreneurial spirit, but when Reebok emerged as a major competitor in the early 1980s, Nike's culture, which focuses on producing men's sportswear, seems short-sighted. Nike failed to foresee the importance of soft leather areobic shoes, which are favored by women. In 1986, Reebok surpassed Nike and became the industry leader. Inspired by this, Knight developed administrative rules to support the central task of maintaining trademark integrity. In 1981, he embarked on a new transformation within the company. He divided a large footwear department into several smaller departments, each of which was responsible for a kind of sports shoes, thus speeding up the product development process. He established a set of production, sales, and advertising links to The system constitutes the company as a whole. As a result, the company worked together to develop various shoe styles and used advertising as a means to create a strong and sensational image of Nike shoes.

(2) The driving force for marketing strategy innovation comes from the innovation of cultural concepts

Creating a perfect and dynamic image of the company and products is the company's strategic goal. Knight believes that teenagers have a strong ability to imitate and are extremely sensitive to brands. The clothes of celebrities on campus often become the object of imitation. Therefore, as long as the most attractive athletes can wear Nike, they will surely attract millions of people across the country. Imitation of many people. The greatest world-class star and popular man Jordan brilliantly grasped Nike's unique ethos, that is, a perfect and dynamic work style. By sponsoring this "first flying man", Nike has also become an idol for millions of people who love sports. Now that Nike has become a large company with sales of 4 billion US dollars, its anti-traditional image is under threat. One business critic scolded: "Knight found that Nike is rapidly becoming a combination of American business and sports. "A lightning rod for ordinary ambivalence." Knight himself believes: "When your family business gets bigger, you have to be careful to cool down the business, but never put out the fire." In the United States, although every sale. One of the three pairs of travel shoes is marked with Nike's trademark Swooshk, but analysis shows that as of May 31, 1994, Nike's total financial revenue for this year will drop by 6% to $3.7 billion. The largest basketball shoe sales market has also declined sharply. Nike's most important markets with development potential are Europe and Japan, but the economies of these two countries are not very prosperous.

The core of the problem is that the consumers who have driven Nike's growth over the past few years - teenagers and young people in their early 20s - have given up on travel shoes. They are tired of the deluge of athlete shoes. Class advertising. They're looking for something new and less commercial - something like rugged leather shoes. All this affected Nike's stock. The stock price reached its peak in November 1990 and fell by 40% by 1992. Knight's 35% stock, which used to be worth $2.3 billion, is now worth only $1.3 billion.

Many analysts believe that Nike has reached its lowest point. They estimate that in 1995, Nike's profits will rise to 12%, or approximately US$316 million. Although still lagging behind fiscal 1992 profits, the three-quarter results released on March 15 gave Wall Street a sign of the good news they had been looking for. Ordering has improved a bit over the summer months and new styles - including a new line of basketball shoes - will be popular with retailers, but Nike's 56-year-old chairman remains concerned as he knows he'll have to It is no longer possible for the already saturated US market to achieve the kind of growth he once created. He spent a lot of time thinking about two things; how to achieve the above goals without losing the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that is crucial to the company's success. Knight is enigmatic and withdrawn.

To achieve company goals, corporate culture reform is imperative. Knight has not been involved in Nike's day-to-day affairs for several months. In order to cope with the company's current unmanageable situation, Knight once again participated in the company's decision-making. Indeed, Nike told division chief Chris Van Dyke: "Kate is back." In mid-February, the chairman convened a meeting of 31 senior management managers at his Oregon beach house, eight of whom He is the manager of an overseas branch. At the meeting, he announced that in June, 42-year-old Clark will succeed Nike's 66-year-old president Chad Donahue. This new appointment was widely supported by the company. It fully affirmed Clark's ability to draw on the strengths of others by strengthening communication links, and at the same time, it also set up a big stage for Nike, the "laggard", to fully display. But this new strategy requires full cooperation from all parts of Nike. At a middle-level management meeting, President Keweike explained the importance of "cooperative management" to 60 managers. Although Knight usually did not like meetings, he also attended the meeting in the back row. Clark said Nike hasn't done enough to make communication channels clearer and speed up decision-making. “Collaboration is in our DNA,” he concluded, “but gone are the days when a few people gathered in a hall to make decisions.” Knight listened patiently until Clark invited him— —The unexpected guest—went to the front desk. Dressed in a double-breasted suit and a pair of shabby loafers, Knight looked a little disheveled. He walked slowly down the aisle, his dim eyes narrowed as the lights caught him, and he emphasized the importance of communication channels with a joke: "A few days ago, Sean Eckhardt walked into a house with a frog on his head. The bartender asked, 'What's that?' The frog replied, 'I don't know, it started out as a lump on my butt.'" Knight imparted information to managers through jokes. Yes: We have to succeed without losing our sense of humor and our rebellious culture. In the United States, there are only a few CEOs who can make employees rejoice as soon as they appear in front of them like Knight. His legendary charm lies in the fact that the smallest gesture he makes can also remind people of Nike's entire glorious history. history.

Sportsmanship and business spirit built Nike and tempered Knight's shrewdness and ability. When Knight started, Nike was just a nobody, but he defeated Adidas and made his own brand. The secret to his success is: first, love for sports, and second, break the rules in business practices. He still wears fold-out Oakley sunglasses and isn't shy about making risqué jokes. He is an excitable and calm person. His employees are willing to work with him to create the Nike myth, and they want nothing more. Nonetheless, Knight was first and foremost a capable man. He clearly knows that in the past years, when they made marathon efforts to win in the competition, Nike hit a wall. After 6 years of the most difficult development, the company became the most powerful in the sports world. a force. Now, with annual sales stuck at nearly $4 billion, Knight is looking for a way out of that stagnation.

(3) Further reform and innovation, and implement new marketing strategies

In order to gain a foothold in the saturated US market, Nike has updated its "appearance" technology and launched a series of new running shoes. shoes and various training shoes. He will also work to expand the $200 million off-rent sportswear division that Van Dyke oversees. Travel shoes, which have a rough appearance, are the only popular product in the shoe industry. The outdoor sporting goods division will compete in this area with powerful peers such as Timberland Co., which has doubled its output and doubled its profits. Knight is confident that by 1996, it will become Nike's most profitable division, with sales reaching $500 million.

At the same time, Nike also changed its sales methods. The outdoor unit has focused sales on yuppies and a new generation of unknown customers, but there are doubts whether Nike can get them interested in Nike shoes through athlete endorsements and television ads. To attract them, and to counter public cynicism, Nike launched its largest publicity campaign ever. In the spring of 1994, Nike adjusted its advertising format. Retired basketball star Michael Jordan showed up at the adult baseball spring league in a Chicago White Sox uniform, and Nike took the opportunity to turn it into a tour merchandise display, much to the chagrin of baseball purists.

While planning the corporate image, there is another important thing: the inventory control system, but companies often ignore it. This system is called "futures" and is the key to Nike's continued profitability. Nike requires retailers to reserve 80% of their total purchases 6-8 months in advance. Only in this way can Nike guarantee delivery time and give a 10% discount. As a result, because Nike knows the supply and order situation very well, it has enough time to arrange production according to the order. This avoids excessive inventory and also ensures that we can obtain ideal ex-factory prices from its branches in Asia. Retailers hate this system because if their estimation of the market is wrong, they will be stuck with these shoes. But Nike's market attracted them to try their luck. Although Nike's competitors were doing the same thing, by the time Nike started shipping products under the deals it had struck, it was already a step ahead. Reebok's Carmody said: "Nike has a powerful logistics system, much more powerful than ours."

(4) Cross-cultural issues in marketing

< p>Cross-cultural issues are problems that every multinational company will encounter in its operation and management. Germany's Adidas is Nike and Reebok's biggest competitor in Europe. Europeans instinctively prefer everything produced on the continent. Adidas is taking advantage of this to launch a powerful offensive against Nike. In addition, Nike sports shoes are expensive, with each pair selling for as high as 80-200 US dollars, making it difficult for some Europeans to accept them. In response to this, Nike deliberately speculates to cater to the psychological characteristics of Europeans. For example, French young people like to show off, so Americans put price tags on their shoes to satisfy their desire to express their status. People in the Netherlands over the age of 25 like to wear white sneakers, while people under the age of 25 like brightly colored sneakers, and Nike treats them differently.

The differences between European and American cultural traditions also make some Europeans hate American products. Ms. Louli from a fashion design school in Paris, France is extremely disgusted with wearing sneakers. She said: "It is simply degenerate. Not polishing shoes is one of them, but the most disgusting thing is wearing sneakers." Another Italian said that wearing sneakers The woman at work was "ugly". But at the same time, like Disneyland and American movies, American culture has a big market in Europe, and Nike is using the American image to shape the European "sneaker family." The international market is Nike's strategic focus, Knight said. "We are all strongly aware that in a few years, the company's business abroad will be much larger than at home." The problem is that even though foreign sales currently account for 1/3 of Nike's total sales, the development of these businesses is only achieved by branches simply imitating American machines. The company must open up markets in football and other international sports. Knight worries that overseas, Nike shoes are losing their original image of authenticity and first-class workmanship. This is all due to neglected marketing strategies and a lax sales organization. Foreign retailers also complain that Nike always uses high-pressure tactics to force them to order Nike shoes early, and only American retailers are accustomed to this approach.

In order to change this situation, Nike bought out distribution businesses around the world in order to gain more control. Knight called on his subordinates to focus on developing business in the super important markets of Germany, Mexico and Japan. There, Nike will convince retailers that ordering in advance won't be a pain in the ass, advertising will focus specifically on the sports world, and Nike will introduce travel shoes that cater to specific markets. For example, badminton shoes are sold to Asia, and handball shoes are sold to New Zealand. The real challenge remains in finding a group of competent managers and instilling in them the Nike way of doing business. But this process is full of hardships. In the United States, Knight trusted his company's managers to do a great job because he knew they understood the significance of the Nike brand. That is: sports, performance, free and easy sportsmanship. This is the rich connotation of Nike's collective culture explained by the legendary president. Now, Knight is eager to find a group of trustworthy managers abroad who can pioneer the domestic market while maintaining Nike's credibility.

But the question is, can Nike culture be truly translated? While exporting Nike shoes, Knight is always obsessed with exporting his Nike culture. The reason is simple: In Oregon, high-profile sports games and performances are plastered around the Nike compound, and these reports encourage people to buy those sneakers, even though 70 percent of those sneakers sold include Nike shoes have never appeared in the stadium. A sports shoe marketing expert believes that "consumers have always had a great interest in sports, and this interest is sustainable. This principle is crucial." In order to strengthen international marketing power , Nike is buying out distribution rights around the world to allow the company to exercise more control. On the one hand, Nike wants to keep good business coming from foreign markets; on the other hand, it aims to maintain the Nike brand and implement strategies formulated based on suggestions. Nike's experience in Japan is the best example of how difficult this process can be. A year ago, Knight knew clearly that Nike's Japanese branch had a large sales business, but because it did not combine sports, performance and the company's brand image, Nike bought the company and revamped it. Knight selected Yugi Akimoto to lead the effort.

Akimoto has made great contributions to KFC's expansion in Japan

Due to the different cultural backgrounds and national habits of different countries, the company should attach great importance to this smoker who is always like Akimoto when formulating marketing strategies and strategies. Sports are often understood as a very gentle pastime, such as golf. Akimoto was sent to Beaverton to receive a four-month education on Nike's culture and business methods. He threw away his cigarette and started running. In December, he returned to Nike Japan in Tokyo and issued an order to ban smoking within the company. For this smog-filled country, the ban is undoubtedly a big deal. At the same time, he also forced Nike employees in Japan to participate in long-distance running training in preparation for the 1994 Hawaii Marathon. After the relationship between Nike's head office and its branches was strengthened, the first "dividend" Nike received was the advent of a special lightweight running shoe designed specifically for Asian feet. But for many important aspects, especially the Nike brand itself, Akimoto did not fully understand. Knight said that before Akimoto left for Tokyo, he wanted to translate "Let It Go" into accurate Japanese and submit it to the managers of the Nike department. Nike people were horrified by this. Knight recalled: "We said: 'No,' don't translate it. We never wanted to hide one thing - our brand is an American brand." Nike was able to outperform the international competition with its emphasis on cultural power. Competition? Nike, with its big family and big business, is no better than it was in its early days. Knight, the legendary entrepreneur, is facing greater challenges.

3. Comments

1. Nike’s stock return rate has increased by an average of 47% every year since 1986. From 1986 to 1996, Fortune magazine ranked it among the 1,000 companies in the United States. Among companies, the company ranks among the top 10. What's the secret? If you delve into the company's philosophy, you will find that taking risks, breaking conventions, and being unconventional are important reasons for the company's miracles. Gary Hamel, a senior researcher at Fortune magazine, said that the driving force for instrumental music innovation comes from the innovation of ideas and corporate concepts, which is the ability to change the core of competition in existing industries and the ability to create new industries. This will become the next fundamental competitive advantage for global enterprises. In an increasingly non-linear world, only non-linear strategies can create huge new wealth. This kind of adjustment of strategic concepts is not something every company can achieve. It will cause pain to the enterprise. It cannot take this step without first changing the corporate culture. More and more companies are proving this and will continue to prove this.

2. Continuous reform and innovation and the implementation of new marketing strategies are the magic weapon for Nike to win, and also the magic weapon for all industries and enterprises to win. In the past decade or so, although some large companies have created huge wealth, they cannot be compared with companies like Nike that continue to innovate in corporate culture and corporate image. While conservative companies in the department store industry focus on improving supply chains and making massive, inconsequential expansions of production lines, innovative companies are creating entirely new product categories and retail concepts. Between April 1995 and April 1996, the capitalization of Internet-related companies increased from almost zero to nearly $10 billion in two years.

3. When building company culture, you must pay attention to your own personality and develop your own personality. You must fully develop your own unique personality characteristics and establish innovations that are good at seizing various new opportunities to implement cultural concepts.