Case study of a company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Case study of a company - Essay Example The aim of this project is to examine Nike's branding strategy in order to identify the structure, challenges and recommendations for potential improvement. In order to attain this end, the following objectives will be explored: 1. A critical analysis of the strategy for success used by Nike over the past two decades. 2. An examination of the current challenges of the company. 3. Recommendations for the improvement of Nike's existing branding strategy 4. An identification of the branding model used by Nike which can be applicable to other companies. The report will involve a critique of the branding systems and strategies that Nike has used to attain results in its operations. It will analyse the dominant patterns and trends that are used by the company and the main approach which has resulted in the successes of Nike as a major global sports brand. The report will entail a review of the methods and approaches used by the company. The fundamental approach will be through a review of relevant literature. The review will cover the various internal dealings of the Nike and how it has paid off in the area of branding. 2.0 Literature Review This section will examine the important elements and components of the research and study. The section will critically evaluate different groundbreaking definitions and ideas that form the basic framework of the study. They will serve to define the core aspects and of the study and provide an understanding that will create the foundation for the fieldwork and actual research that will be conducted in this study. 2.1 Brand The question of what a â€Å"brand† is plays a significant role in this whole study. This is because the research provides a discussion brand-related matters in Nike, hence it is important to understand the concept of brand and its role in organisations' operations and activities. Kotler defines a brand as â€Å"a name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of this intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors† (Knoweles et al, 2010, p91). This implies that a brand is a unique identity or a unique representation that defines a given company's product or offering. This makes the company's offering different from what other companies in the industry are presenting to companies in the industry. To this end, Nike's offering is the popular symbol which makes it different from other competitors like Adidas and Puma who have very different symbols. The idea is to get a unique representation that is protected by law which sets each of the sports manufacturers apart from the other manufacturers. A brand creates and identification for the products in a given entity and builds an emotional connection that acts as basis on which communication with consumers can proceed (Schultz, 2009). This implies that the brand creates a basic and simple representation that other consumers can easily build some kind of connection to. The fundamental position of branding is to provide a means through which easy communication can be conducted. In other words, a brand creates an all-encompassing image which the consumers can identify with through minimal efforts. Once a brand is created, various concepts and ideas of the product offerings are woven into the brand and advertising and other marketing communication ventures are