Nike's Global Expansion - Global Marketing Professor (2024)

Nike, Inc., was founded in 1964 under the name Blue Ribbon Sports and officially became Nike in 1971. It is a sportswear company that started with footwear but has since become the largest sportswear company in the world with products ranging from shoes and clothing to smart devices. It now has more than 700 plants located throughout 42 countries and has a brand value of $34.8 billion worldwide. It was able to create innovative shoes that changed the industry. Other than its superior products, it was able to expand thanks to its use of global marketing strategies to help expand its business globally and gain market share everywhere. Nike was able to use social media presence and strategic partnership and sponsorship to gain global consumers and market share.

Nike was one of the first companies to utilize the technological advancement of the internet and social media. It was an early adopter of email marketing, internet marketing, and broadcast communication. It also understands the impact social media can have on connecting with consumers and creating a brand image. Nike has gained over 33 million followers on Facebook and 141 million on Instagram. It uses its social media presence to share its newest products and campaigns to consumers globally. Nike also often promotes its products and posts ads through Facebook and Instagram.

Nike also utilizes partnerships and sponsors as international marketing channels to engage with their international consumers. Nike partners with many world-class athletes like Michael Jordan, Neymar, Christiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods to name a few. These athletes have fans all over the world, especially in their home region. For example, Neymar has a huge following from his home nation of Brazil and Christiano Ronaldo has similar followings in Portugal. By partnering with these athletes, Nike can easily connect with these audiences from different countries that might otherwise be hard to connect with. Many consumers also see these athletes as their role models and idols so what they wear can have a huge influence on their fans’ purchase decisions. Nike also sponsors many sports teams and sporting events worldwide. This helps Nike reach the audiences of these sporting events gaining even more consumers.

Nike is constantly trying to expand their customer base not just in the US but globally. They have a strong foundation for global expansion and will continue to be the leader in the sportswear industry.

Citation:

www.daytranslations.com/blog/nike-expands-globally/

https://blog.unmetric.com/nike-social-media