The Similarities Of Nike Vs. Adidas

4. Further Research—Gather information on Nike’s recent moves and accomplishments, and those of its rival Adidas. Are both firms following the same strategies and using the same structures to support them? Or, is one doing something quite different from the other? Based on what you learn, what do you predict for the future? Will Nike stay on top, or is Adidas the next industry leader?

Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight started Nike Inc. in 1971, formally known as Blue Ribbon Sports. Bill Bowerman was a former track and field coach at the University of Oregon, and Phil Knight was a student-athlete at the University of Oregon. After numerous years of supplying under Blue Ribbon Sports, the two decided to enter the athletic shoe manufacturing business. The first employee of the company was Jeff Johnson, who helped them with branding what is known today as NIKE Inc.

Nike was founded on January 25, 1964, as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight (Citation) and was officially named Nike Inc. on May 30, 1971. The company initially operated as a distributer for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger (Citation). Nike first started making shoes by the help of Bowerman. He made track shoes for Phil Knight, a track and field athlete, at the time, attending the University of Oregon. In Blue Ribbon Sports first year of business, they sold 1,300 pairs of running shoes. In 1966, Blue Ribbon Sports opened their first retail store located in Santa Monica, California next to a beauty salon (Citation). Then the infamous Nike swoosh was created in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson (Citation). The company has been flourishing ever since opening and is showing nothing, but upside for its consumers.

Adidas is a well-known sports company that manufactures shoes, sportswear and accessories. Adolf Dassler in Germany established the company in 1949. Adidas was started in a washroom and over the years triumphed the world. Recently Adidas has been going through a lot of turbulence. In the year 2014 the company stocks went down staggeringly. Adidas recently closed down close to 200 stores in Russia due to deteriorating economy. Nike has been giving Adidas a stiff competition. Adidas definitely need better planning and better leadership to give its competitors a healthy competition.

There are Cats and Dogs , Coffee and Tea and then there are Nike and Adidas. It is no twist in the story that they are arch rivals. But what is the Plot? Nike and Adidas seemed to have a good and almost equal market initially in the ‘00s. Adidas then dropped the mic with its super popular Y-3 label and signed David Beckham for a lifetime $160m deal while Nike went shopping and came back with Hurley, Converse and Starter for an estimate of $450m. While backstage Current CEO Herbert Hainer took over in 2001 and Nike Co—founder Phil Knight stepped down from CEO a year later. Meanwhile Michael Jordan hung up his sneakers in 2003.

Nike, Inc. is a world’s leading supplier and a major manufacturer of athletic shoes and sports apparel. It was founded on January 25th, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Philip Knight and Bill Bowerman. It officially became Nike, Inc. in 1978. Currently their brands include Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan and Nike Skateboarding, while their subsidiaries are Cole Haan, Hurley International, Umbro and Converse. During this stage, the Nike brand has become so strong as to place it in the list of recession-proof consumer branded giants, in the company of Coca-Cola, Gillette and Proctor & Gamble.

Nike was previously known as Blue Ribbon Sports (RBS) which was founded in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. Phil Knight was a middle distance runner hailing from Portland who trained under track and field coach Bill Bowerman. Bill Bowerman was looking for ways to enhance his student’s performance and tried improving their shoes in his free time. Kicking off their business, which was established by now they tried to launch their own line of shoes. After years of struggle, in 1971 they came up with lighter weight training

Short-Term assets are one that is to be converted into cash or liquidated to pay for liabilities.

Nike was formed in 1962 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman where the goal was to manufacture high quality running shoes. By 1979, the company had garnered approximately 50% of the United States running shoe market. By 1987, the company had moved into other athletic segments such as Basketball and general purpose exercise. Nike operates globally and claims a great deal of media attention as they sponsor big league sports celebrities and other media stars (Kell, 2016). Recently, you can see the majority of athletes at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro wearing Nike shoes. This demonstrates the power of their brand.

In 1971 it would officially become the sportswear giant Nike. Back in 1964, Phil’s track coach Bill Bowerman wanted to join him as an equal partner. They immediately had early success in the sport gear industry. Phil was very good at track and could have easily became a professional. Bill and

Adidas is a sportswear manufacturing company started by Adolf Dassler. Adidas group has incorporated brands including Adidas, Reebok, TaylorMade-Adidas and Rockport. The wings of the company are widespread and have assimiliated other productions including handbags, shirts, spectacles, watches, balls, and sportswear. Adidas is being the largest company that sells footwear in the European market and have achieved a momentous market share at the global platform. Adidas has achieved phenomenal sale and have reached the pinnacle of success on the global scale with other international footwear companies (McDonald & Milne, 1999).

If I had to choose between Nike or Under Armour I would more likely choose Nike because they offer better vibrant colors and better comfort for your feet. Under Armour shoes and cleats are not bad or nothing I would try both pairs but I would more likely stick to Nikes. I will stop talking about what I like and show you some similarities and differences in both Nike and Under armour cleats.

Nike, Inc. initially called Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by university track and field coach, Bill Bowerman and his former student, Phil Knight at Beaverton, Oregon (Encyclopedia Britannica,

Adidas was founded by Adi Dassler on August 18, 1949 in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Adidas has been in business longer than Nike, they have had their logo since the inception; thus, the three stripes on the side of their shoes. In Spring of 2015, they came out with their new strategic business plan called, “Creating the New”. The focus was on Cities, Speed, and Open Source. According to Herbert Hainer, the CEO at that time stated, “The company is working every day to inspire and enable people to harness the power of sport in their lives (Adidas Group, n.d.). Adidas current competitive strategy is not the same as Nike’s competitive strategy. In October 2016, Kasper Rorsted became Adidas’ current CEO. He believes health and fitness will continue to become a lifestyle not a fad. Furthermore, he wants to expound the three clear strategic choices: Speed, Cities, and Open Source.” They are more focused on the broad target market, a low-cost provider strategy. In March 2017, he updated the focus for Adidas to include “Corporate Culture, Digital, One Adidas, North America and Portfolio.” (Adidas Group, n.d.).

Nike began as Phil Knight’s semester-long project to develop a small business, which included a marketing plan. This project was part of Phil Knight’s MBA course at Stanford University in the early 1960s. Phil Knight had been a runner at the University of Oregon in the late 1950s. His idea for his project was to develop high quality running shoes. He thought that high quality/low cost products could be produced in Japan and then shipped to the United States to be sold at a profit. His professor thought that Knight’s idea was interesting, but not much more than a project.