Everyone is familiar with Nike. It is the biggest sportswear and footwear manufacturer on the planet. Its hallmark is constant innovation. It is a common belief that businesses need to change with the times to stay in business. Unquestionably, Nike is a true representation of this.
I am sure a lot of you are curious to learn more about the Swoosh brand. We are going to share with you ten fascinating facts about Nike that you may not have known, for that reason.
Nike was not its original name
1. In 1964 Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight founded the company we know today as Nike, which at the time was called BLUE RIBBON SPORTS. Originally, its focus was on importing trainers from Japan. It was renamed Nike when it became its own brand in 1971.
Nike came through a dream
2. Jeff Johnson, the company’s first employee, had a dream that inspired the name Nike. Nike is the Greek goddess of victory, which has led to numerous legal problems for the registration of the name around the world. Dimension Six was the last-minute name that was dropped.
A logo for much more than $35
3. Carolyn Davidson, a design student, created the iconic Nike SWOOSH logo while she was already creating catalogues for the company. The popular belief that she was paid $35 to complete the task stems from Phil Knight’s amusing remark, “We paid her two dollars an hour and I never thought she spent 17 hours and half.”
But Carolyn got something more from Nike. When Nike became a public company Carolyn Davidson received stock that, by Davidson’s own admission in 2010, she still held.
Just Do It and its macabre origin
4. The well-known Just Do It tagline was first used in 1988 in an advertisement starring Walt Stack, an octogenarian runner. Years later, Dan Wieden, the founder of Wieden and Kennedy, the advertising firm that has worked with Nike for a large portion of its history, said that the concept for Just Do It came from a man’s final words while he was on death row.
Nike, also owner of other brands
5. Nike began as a brand and developed into a corporate group that owned Hurley, Cole Haan, and Starter at various points in time. Today it still owns Converse.
Nike and waffles
6. Nike’s first major innovation was an outsole made from a waffle machine and rubber. This resulted in an ultra-lightweight, grid-like sole with good cushioning and plenty of traction that remains, for functionality or homage, in many of their current sneakers.
Nike’s strangest inspirations
7. Many sneakers have been designed from elements completely external to the shoe and the sport. Tinker Hatfield was inspired by the Pompidou Center in Paris to revolutionize athletic footwear in 1987 with the Nike Air Max sneaker. The Air Max 93 was created from a milk bottle or the Air Max 97 was designed following the pattern of a falling drop of water.
Nike and Michael Jordan, the most successful alliance
8. Nike’s bet on Michael Jordan is one of the greatest business successes of the last decades. It is considered the most productive alliance in the history of sports marketing.
The first Nike Air was not a success
9. The first shoe with Air technology was the Nike Air Tailwind, which was released in 1978. It has the honor of being the first shoe with an air chamber but its first experience was not as expected. The air cushioning worked perfectly, but the fabric used for the upper of the shoe did not work as well as the midsole. Early testers of the Air technology were delighted with the cushioning and appalled with the upper.
Nike vs The Beatles
10. The first Air Pack campaign (a collection that included Jordan III, Trainer 1, Air Max 1 and Air Revolution) was also the first advertising campaign with music by The Beatles. Until that time, using original music in ads was a rarity and created a controversy between musicians, fans, music license owners and brands.
Historias que han forjado la evolución de una marca que ha creado algunos de los diseños más revolucionarios de la historia, transformados ya en mitos para distintas generaciones. Puedes conocer algunos de ellos en FOOTDISTRICT.