When Mr. Stewart asked the question, "Are there any brands you identify with?" I was thinking that there was no way I fit that question and had major band loyalty. However, I realized that all of my athletic wear - shoes, socks, shorts, shirts - is almost completely Nike. Their marketing and products have appealed to me, making me willing to buy their products for the logo even though they are about the same quality as athletic cheaper brands.
For years, Nike has been the top selling athletic brand world-wide, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. Nike focuses most of their marketing in commercials and product promotion and has a variety of endorsers such as Colin Kaepernick, Serena Williams, and LeBron James. With having endorsers from different sports, this creates a large following since they have products for everyone. Seeing famous celebrities or athletes makes the consumer feel a more personal connection to the brand. This is very common for large companies to use endorsers to promote their brand and products because the money they use to pay the athletes, is only a fraction of their overall profit.
For example, the Nike Free Run shoe has been consistently one of the brand's top selling shoe for years. However, this model and with a lack of support can easily cause injury. Even with these drawbacks, why do the continue to be bought? Simply for the logo. Nike also made uniforms and was the main sponsor for the 2016 Olympics for Track and Field USA athletes. I attended the Olympic Trials that year and was definitely influenced by the Nike swoosh all around me that I ended up buying the Nike merchandise at the event.
I believe that the associations we make with brands very important and that is why companies spend millions on endorsement deals in order to hopefully gain customer loyalty.
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It is interesting to consider the effects of controversial endorsements on profits for brands. For example, because you discussed Nike, I think it is relevant to talk about their recent campaign with Kaepernick. This endorsement deal has been making many headlines recently, mostly because so many people have been boycotting and even burning their Nike gear in protest of the message their feel Nike is sending. While this may at first appear to be catastrophic to Nike's sales, in actuality, it is a good thing. Before making this endorsement deal, Nike clearly thought about the inevitable scandal that would ensue, but the reason they followed through regardless is "succes de scandale", a French saying that means "success of scandal". In the words of circus owner Phineas T. Barnum, this means "no publicity is bad publicity." In the Nike ads, the backlash may have cost them the sales of a few thousand shoes, but it got the name out to potentially millions more than before. The boycott of a few Americans is actually helping the brand.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Katherine! I find the power of endorsements to be quite interesting as well. Before reading your post I didn't realize how much brand loyalty I have to the Jolyn bathing suit company. Much like how you saw the Nike brand everywhere at the Olympic trials the Jolyn brand is used by many famous water polo players and swimmers and just about everyone on both my club and school teams has a Jolyn suit. Because of this I found myself wanting to fit in, especially when I was first starting and have amassed quite the collection of suits from this brand. It is interesting to think about how much endorsements and the popularity of a brand have influenced my economic decisions. Thanks again for a great post!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post Katherine! Endorsements can be very useful for companies sales, especially big names like Nike, and I think you did a great job in showing this. When I think of endorsements for Nike, I think of colleges like Oregon that really push their gear. If you ever purchase any Oregon gear, it will always be made by Nike with their big swoosh displayed. I have also fallen for schemes by endorsements by buying something I don't need because someone I enjoy watching or look up to has been seen wearing it or advertising it.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I loved the anecdote in the beginning! I think it ultimately enhances the enjoyment of the reading when you tie it in with real-world experiences. I also would say I relate; you never realize how powerful endorsements are until you look in your closet and see it's all Nike! I too recognize that Nike isn't always the best quality, but because of the number of endorsements it receives, I end up continuing to buy their products.
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