Monday, July 2, 2012

Brand Dominance: Nike at US Olympic Track & Field Trials (Smart Monday/Positioning)



Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing.  Today is Smart Monday, and we are going to spend the entire week looking at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials.  I had the opportunity to be in Eugene, Oregon and saw amazing branding and marketing going on everywhere I turned.



Today I want to talk about brand dominance and in particular Nike, who dominated the category for shoes and athletic equipment at the US Olympic Trials.  The definition of brand dominance is when only one brand comes to mind in a particular category.  During the Olympic Trials that was Nike and their presence was everywhere on the field, on the athletes, you name it, the Nike logo was present.



There is a long history between the Olympic Trials, Track Town USA (Eugene, Oregon), the famous runner Steve Prefontaine and the birth of Nike.  All of that is related to the brand dominance Nike enjoys in Eugene.



Let’s take a look at brand dominance by Nike at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials.  First, everywhere you went you saw the Nike logo.  They were sponsoring athletes but more importantly they were sponsoring many of the top winning athletes.  Frequently a competitor earning a spot to go to London to represent the United States was someone sponsored by Nike.  Athletes were wearing Nike gear.  Even the volunteers, of which I was one, were wearing Nike gear.  My hat, raincoat and T-shirt were all produced by Nike.



Every time there was a replay of a great run, throw or jump on the scoreboard in the stadium, Hayward Field, the Nike logo was there for all to see.  Nike also dominated the Fanfest area with their Camp Victory.  As visitors came in there was a large Nike store and all of the activities there for them to enjoy as an attendee at the Olympic Trials and were sponsored by Nike.  Even today’s NY Times has an article about Nike, Track Town USA and the Olympic Trials.



There are very few companies that you can really call brand dominant.  But in the case of Nike, especially at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials, it was certainly brand dominance.  It has taken Nike over 40 years to create their brand dominance.  I want you to think about the category where you compete and what you can do to move toward brand dominance.



Be sure to join me tomorrow when we continue our series looking at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials and the exceptional branding and marketing going on.  To discuss an online or face-to-face service engagement and enhance the marketing and branding for your organization, contact James Glover: (505) 501-1330 or onceadaymarketing@gmail.com.  I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing and we’ll see you next time.


1 comment:

  1. Not only do you present your topic well within your video here, Jim, but you also wisely include the accompanying information within your blog post. This should help Google find you more easily.

    It also helps people who like to watch videos but don't like to listen that much. The words give that person a chance to see what you present within your video--in case they missed something. (Of course, I NEVER need that safety net for me. LOL)

    Once a Day Marketing is a good blog.

    ReplyDelete