Strategic Marketing of Nike(The best company Nike)Product marketing program:

The Nike story begins with its founder, running enthusiast Phil Knight. In 1962, Knight started Blue Ribbon Sports, the precursor to Nike. At the time, the athletic shoe industry was dominated by two German companies, Adidas and Puma. Knight recognized a neglected segment of serious athletes whose specialized needs were not being addressed. The concept was simple: Provide high-quality running shoes designed especially for athletes by athletes. Knight believed that "high-tech" shoes for runners could be manufactured at competitive prices if imported from abroad. Without much cash to do any advertising for his products, Knight crafted his "grass roots" philosophy of selling athletic shoes: Speaking to athletes in their language and on their level; sharing their true passion for running; and listening to their feedback about his products and the sport. Each weekend Knight would travel from track meet to track meet – both high school and collegiate competitions--talking with athletes and selling Tiger shoes from the trunk of his green Plymouth Valiant.
The company's commitment to designing innovative footwear for serious athletes helped it build a cult following that rapidly reached the American consumer. By 1980, after just under two decades in the business, Nike had become the number one athletic shoe company in the United States. Unfortunately for the company, this wave of success was soon to crest as rival companies positioned themselves to take advantage of the aerobics craze, which Nike largely ignored. Companies like Reebok and L.A. Gear developed fashionable and comfortable products aimed at women fitness enthusiasts that sold remarkably well.
Nike refused to join a market it saw as low in quality and heavy on cosmetic properties and continued making durable, performance-oriented products. The company lost millions in sales and allowed Reebok to gain basically uncontested market share points. By 1987, Reebok had nearly doubled Nike's market share, with 30 percentage points compared to Nike's 18. Fortunately for Nike, the company chose to fight back with product innovations and persuasive marketing. The company's "Air" technology revitalized the company with the additional aid of successful advertising campaigns such as the 1987 "Revolution in Motion" spot for the new Air Max shoes and the "Air Jordan" commercials. When Nike unveiled its now-famous "Just Do It" campaign in 1988, just as Reebok developed the "Reeboks Let U.B.U" slogan, the company was on its way to a full recovery. By 1989, Nike had regained the market leader position in America as market share rose three points above Reebok to 25 percent that year.
In the 1990s, Nike continued its consumer focus. Nike kept its "finger on the pulse" of the shoe-buying public in part through the use of "EKINs" (Nike spelled backwards) – sports-loving employees whose job was to hit the streets to disseminate information about Nike and find out what was on the minds of retailers and consumers. Nike's "Brand Strength Monitor" formally tracked consumer perceptions three times a year to identify marketplace trends. In areas where it felt less knowledgeable, e.g., outside of track and basketball, Nike was more likely to commission customized research studies. Nike's inventory control system, called "Futures," also helped it better gauge consumer response and plan production accordingly.
Innovative product development had always been a cornerstone of the company. By 1998, Nike was unveiling a new shoe style, on average, every day. In 1999, the company put the power to design shoes in the hands of its customers with the NIKEiD project. NIKEiD enabled customers to personalize a pair of selected shoe models using online customization software. The software led consumers through a step-by-step process: customers could choose the size and width of the shoes, pick the color scheme, and affix their own 8-character personal ID to the product. Early reviews of the NIKEiD project were full of criticism of the limited selection and availability, so less than a year after its debut, Nike added additional shoe models and more customization options while increasing site capacity. Though the company had become a household name throughout the world and, more important, achieved the position of global sportswear leader, Nike was still $3 billion shy of reaching the goal of $12 billion that Phil Knight initially intended the company to reach by 2000. In a letter in Nike's 2000 annual report, Knight addressed the issue of how to jumpstart his company's slowed growth and offered the following formula: "We need to expand our connection to new categories and toward new consumers." This quotation is indicative of Nike's relentless drive to build its brand with a strong consumer focus.