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International Marketing Study Program 2002
Nike, Portland, Oregon, USA
22 January 2002
The long flight from Paris to Portland, Oregon was exhausting, but the group was soon refreshed by the excitement brought by the following day's visit to Nike, which is located just outside the city of Portland. The visit started at the Tiger Woods Centre, located in the Nike campus, and kicked off with the group having the good fortune to sit in on part of the induction program for new Nike employees. This presentation focussed on the history, culture and values of Nike, and was given by several senior and long-term Nike employees, including Nelson Farris, the director of Corporate Education, and the HR Director of Global Functions, Ann Schmidt. The induction program also included a fantastic motivational speaker, Kevin Carroll.
The induction program was followed by a tour of the Nike 'campus' home to some 4,500 employees- which is set in beautiful landscaped gardens, around a large lake. Nike have worked hard to retain many of the original trees in the area, which gives the whole campus the natural 'outdoorsy' feel of Oregon. The campus includes many sports facilities, including swimming pools, running tracks, gyms, and even an artificial wall for rock-climbing, all available for use by Nike employees. During the tour, the group also visited Nike's testing labs in the Research and Development area.
Following lunch in the very impressive Nike café, the group then met with several senior marketing personnel, starting with Pamela Neferkara (Director, Retail Presentation). In particular Pamela discussed Nike's most recent campaign 'enjoy the weather' for the northern hemisphere winter. This campaign included not just the normal TV and billboard campaigns, but also included a significant 'event marketing' program. This program included distributing many pairs of Nike's latest running shoes encased in ice cubes throughout Chicago. Also, artificial muddy footprints were strategically placed, leading people into Nike stores, and posters featured mud splashed around locker rooms in gyms. The innovative nature of this campaign generated significant free publicity for Nike in Chicago, including local radio stations volunteering to get involved in the events. Kari scored one of Nike's new Presto range of bags for being able to correctly identify athletes from Nike's latest TV advertisements.
Simon Pestridge (Brand Marketing Manager) presented next to the group. Simon spoke in some detail about the brand principles of Nike, perceptions of the brand around the world, and some of the brand and marketing opportunities for Nike into the future.
The group then travelled to Nike's advertising agency, Wieden and Kennedy, to get an added perspective on Nike's marketing and communication activities. The group noted the very close relationship that Nike and their agency have, and the shared understanding of the Nike brand values. The group was also pleased to learn that one of the key members of the creative team for the Nike account was a fellow Australian.
Steve Younane (Director, Retail Operations) - who had been key in setting up the whole visit - also organised drinks and dinner at a local restaurant, where the group was able to discuss some of Nike's retail activities in a more informal setting. He also organised for the group to visit the Niketown store when they arrived in Seattle, where we were able to inspect (and purchase) much Nike merchandise - this visit is expected to significantly increase Nike's sales figures for the month of January!! Thanks Nike - it was a great company visit.
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