Chapter 7. Business Marketing

Nike.com is a major asset to Nike's portion of sales when it comes to everything Nike and the things you are interested in. Nike.com has got you covered from the everyday walking or running shoe right down to the on field cleats. Nike Inc. holds the advantage against its competitors with weekly and monthly release which gather in a rather large amount of demand or hype. Nike has its own twitter handler which goes by @Nikestore on twitter. This aside of Nike's other several twitter such as separate twitter handler for its several location such as @NikeNYC, @21Mercer. Nike has a very reputable amount of followers and even though this is a new feature Nike Inc. knows how to approach and penetrate the young market via the internet. Nike already understands the prestige exclusivity that their products carry now, taking this into a matter of applying the penetration to the internet market Nike releases popular sneakers via twitter link only. 

Nike has been very successful over time as a very well developed and managed brand. Nike saves money due to the fact that Nike Inc. do not make their own shoes instead Nike hires factories in other countries to make their products there for Nike saving by having the products made elsewhere and having to pay less, Nike also benefits from this because now Nike uses a strategic alliance with retailers such as Finishline, Footlocker and even Macy's by supplying them with Nike products to be sold to the consumers. Therefore Nike reaching the public from many different retail chains. Nike also ensures trust of their consumers with the use of warranties on all their products. Nike gives a certain amount of time to return products, although if the product is in new condition, Nike allows you to return the products at any time also Nike allows you to purchase a product anywhere else such as Footlocker, Finishline, and any other place you cant think of the Nike warranty applies to any location. Nike will reimburse you with a Nike gift card and if not, Nike also provides a contact number where you can call and speak to a representative where they will help you with all your needs. 

Chapter 8. Segmenting and Targeting Markets

Nike utilizes the methods of Segmenting and Targeting Markets in order to optimize sales of their products. Nike identifies the market and segment depending on the product that they are selling. Nike mainly uses Demographic Segmentation in order to sell their products. Nike divides up their footwear by the gender of which they are being made for Male/Female. They also base it on the ages of the customer (Infant, Youth Sizes, Big Kid Sizes & Adult Sizes). The prices of the sneakers are usually satisfying to every income class since there are a huge variety of low priced, high priced sneakers. Nike also utilizes Psychographic Segmentation to further their sales of their products. A lot of Nike Sneakers are broken down into lifestyle sections. Sneakers are broken down into, Running, Golfing, Basketball, Football & casual etc. These also serves as Nike target Markets for their sneaker, based on what their interest are. 

Chapter 11. Developing and Managing Products

With Nike, new products are important to sustain growth, increase revenues and profits and replace obsolete items. It's seems like every time you turn on your television computer or even walking around the city, you can't go a day without seeing some type of advertisement  for Nike. all of Nike's new product have become more environment friendly. One of Nike's product that was introduced a couple years that still gets a lot of heads turning are the Nike Free Run. The Nike Free Run product feels like you're walking on clouds. wearing the sneakers literally feels like your barefoot. Th e Nike Free Run product are manufactured with recycled materials and one of the most flexible shoes you will ever wear on your feet. 

Nike doesn't have much of a problem with product life cycle. For example the Nike Air Max series that were manufactured in 1995 are still in high demand today. The only difference between a 1995 pair and today's pair is the material used to manufacture the sneakers. Their now more light weight and composed from different reusable materials. Nike also has begun to start using more technology with all their product, so for the near future expect to hear Nike coming up with new innovations and having their own stamp in the technology world.

Chapter 18. Social Media and Marketing

The new media feature Nike has developed is called "Twitter RSVP". (Only eligible for Twitter account users only) The way it works is Nike stores across the country tweet hash-tags that you will have to message back to, with the following info: Product hash-tag, first & last name, and size, once it's done, Nike will respond back on a fist come first served bases to those who successfully completed the message. With the replied message customers get the opportunity to purchase the product. This makes it easier for Nike to have a more complete interaction with the consumer. This also gives them feed back in areas of populations throughout the country, contributing to future locations in areas not yet explored by Nike Inc. Nike keep coming up with ideas in order to manufacture, sell and satisfy their customers and distribute their product accordingly in favor of the public themselves. 

Chapter 10. Product Concepts

Nike can be seen as a juggernaut when it comes to the strategic planning, retailing an advertising their products, also in the way consumers view their products. Nike products cannot be categorized into just one area. Nike products can be categorized in every kind of retail product. Some footwear can be considered a shopping product, because some are more expensive then other athletic shoes. Due to this fact a person in search for a limited Nike shoe would shop around and compare this product with other highly expensive athletic shoes. Nike athletic apparel can also be seen as a convenience product  because nike products can be found in almost any retail store even if they don't specialize in athletic apparel. 

Nike markets and advertises their products consumers do have the idea that they have a specialty product with a special clientele. Those who buy Nike products are not likely to except a substitute and thats because of design. The creative power of Nike make hundreds of decisions daily that impact thousands of products in their portfolio. Ultimately, these decisions shape Nike’s footprint. Nike gives designers feedback in key areas like materials, waste, chemistry and innovation, this helps them make important decisions. This all shapes up Nike's footwear concept. 

Chapter 17. Personal Selling and Sales Management

Nike's way of persuading consumers is by showcasing the quality of the product. The company doesn't do much discounts. If they do have a sale it would be through retail stores such as Footlocker, Modells, Foot Action and Finishline. They do more of a point of purchase promotion system in such cases. One example would have to be this Nike's new "Nike Hyperdunk" sneakers with the additional "Nike Plus" a system in which you can train and exercise and when your done, you can upload your Nike device to your computer and it will give you all your daily training results instantly and also compares your athleticism with other people in the world. Nike retailers provide their customers with the best one on one customer help/assistance to make the personal sell that much personal. When the customer becomes interested, Nike relies on the salesperson to do what it take, whether its visuals, adds or color scheme or even pitch a new sport gadget to make the sale because it's harder for a company to effectively sell their products if there isn't much discounts or coupons.

                                                                                                            

Chapter 16. Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

Advertising 

Nike has an enormous amount of sales promotion to advertise all their new products. The four main ways Nike uses sales promotion are currently through television commercials, social media, billboard adds, and using athletes from every major sports league as a representative who represents them. For example, LeBron James for Basketball, Serena Williams for Tennis , Lionel Messi for Soccer, Calvin Johnson for Football & Derek Jeter for baseball. Nike spends millions on advertising alone in a single year to insure that their product is being seen and hopefully it will motivate people to head to the stores to purchase.

Public Relations

Considering Nike’s successful history in sales and athletic sponsorships, they have taken a beating when it comes to public relations and social responsibility, having seen their share of accusations over time.  Problems like these have plagued major corporations, such as Wal-mart and McDonald’s, forcing them to find ways to drive from being associated with greed and corruption. However, in a recent "Corporate Responsibility report". Nike’s focus was recognizing the impacts of declining natural resources. This seems to be a continuation of their goal to reach a model that achieves zero waste with products that can be reused. 

Sales Promotion

Nike isn't known for having much sells but they opened an outlet at the Citadel Outlet in Los Angeles.  Nike's expansion plan calls for a mix of discount type Nike stores in outlet malls and Niketown stores, which sell newer and exclusive items and are often found in upscale shopping centers all across the country. Consumers won't find the latest Nike sneakers or Air Jordans at the Nike Factory Store. Instead, the factory stores sell products left over from past seasons at prices discounted from when the items first arrived in other retail stores. Which would make it easier for customers to purchases previous items they couldn't purchase once before.