Leading Advantages: Meet Bill Bowerman, Phil Knight and I think you already know Nike

“If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

This observation was made by former University of Oregon track coach and entrepreneur Bill Bowerman. His track teams boasted 33 Olympians, 38 conference champions and 64 All-Americans. In the 1960s, he co-authored the best-selling book Jogging, credited with igniting this fitness craze in the U.S. Bowerman is a member of the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. But if you know Bowerman at all, it is probably as a founder of Nike.

Bowerman is most famous for ruining his wife’s waffle iron. He was experimenting with waffle-ironed rubber as the sole for a new kind of shoe, one that would grip but also be lightweight. The rest is history.

Or should I say distant legend? Because Bowerman is hardly a household name and his story occupies a modest place in Nike’s brand story. And this brings us to another type of brand leader: the unknowns.

Visit Nike’s website and you have to do a little digging to learn about Bowerman at all. And you'll find no mention of Bowerman’s long list of accolades or hall of fame status, despite their obvious implications of expertise and accomplishment. To the world at large, Nike’s brand leadership is about as lightweight as their running shoes. Especially in the case of Bowerman’s co-founder Phil Knight (who?).

On January 25, 1964 (six years before the waffle-iron incident) Phil Knight shook hands with Bill Bowerman to form Nike forerunner Blue Ribbon Sports. Blue Ribbon would distribute Onitsuka Tiger running shoes from Japan to the western United States. And it was Knight’s business foresight that got the whole enterprise started.

At the Univeristy of Oregon, Knight was a mid-distance runner under track coach Bill Bowerman. Knight later attended Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he needed to develop a business plan for a class. His paper posed the question: “Can Japanese Sports Shoes Do to German Running Shoes What Japanese Cameras Did to German Cameras?” Apparently, yes.

During a post-graduate trip to Japan, Knight first secured the U.S. distribution rights of Tiger running shoes and sent a pair to Bowerman in hopes of an endorsement. Bowerman offered more than words of praise, he offered a partnership. Now the two were in business. But a bigger brand was yet to come.

It was Knight’s friend Jeff Johnson who suggested the name Nike, after the goddess of victory, and Knight had the good sense to take the recommendation. The logo was then commissioned from Carolyn Davidson for a mere $35. And this is where we really start to see Knight’s progressive thinking. “I don’t love it, but it will grow on me” was his response to Davidson’s swoosh design. I guess it grew on us all.

This is remarkable in terms of marketing! Knight didn’t rework the logo a gazillion times. He just approved this plain, abstract, dynamic hint of a wing. Okay. Just do it!

In fact, the more you study Knight’s decisions, the more you recognize his genius behind the Nike brand. Bowerman may have spurred product innovation, but Knight kindled product image. Bowerman gave Nike sole. Knight gave it attitude. Because Knight gave his brand a voice and a face far beyond his own. He bet on the talent and star power of others.

If we think about it, Knight could have used his own story, his own background in track and field, to promote his running shoe distribution. But he didn’t. He sought out a bigger story, a bigger star. He went after Bowerman. And this is something Nike continues to do until this very day.

From Ilie Nastase to Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, Nike has established a legion of endorsements and alignments with athletes, pro and amateur alike. To the public, they’re the brand leaders. Not one success story, but many. His, hers, theirs and yes, yours. A string of victories. A brand without a face. At times, without a name (thanks to the iconic swoosh). But always this "Just Do It" attitude, this presence. And in this way, the spirit of the Nike triumphs eternal.

Bill Bowerman passed away in 1999. Knight resigned as Nike CEO in 2004, but stayed on as chairman of the board.

Knight may be a brand leader, but he leads from the sidelines. A nameless, faceless visionary, largely unknown to the masses. He makes room for the dreams, ambitions and achievements of others. But does this mean Bowerman and Knight should play such obscure roles in the public identity of the Nike brand? Does their story offer more value to the brand than what is currently being utilized within their corporate culture? Which brings us to the brand strategy conundrum. Would you make Bowerman and Knight more prominent on Nike’s website, ads or other? Could they or should they be more famous? 

Comments

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[Matt]

"BRS" also appeared on many of their outsoles which was for "Blue Ribbon Sports", the original name of the company which became Nike.

[Robin Sisler]

I'd like to clear-up something as-well;
in 1972 my dad was working at a foundry in Eugene when these guys came in and had my dad make two dies that were 12" square and looked like huge waffle irons. They both have my dad's initials in the corner "R.S." for Richard Sisler. I've seen one of these dies when it was on display at a Nike Store in Eugene at the 5th Street Public Market. When I wrote to Nike after not finding anything about their history on their website they never responded.
This is the first time I've mentioned it online, maybe someone will see it.

[Kristine Bruneau]

It's a great, inspiring story... to me. But not to everyone. I think it should be shared. It's definitely worth spreading. And maybe you've done just that. Pass it on. I know I will.

[Russ Tate]

Most people think Phil was the ruiner of the waffle iron (me included). Thanks for clearing up the misconception!

[Greg Williams]

Megan, it's difficult to find fault with the Nike brand. They have reached a status many brands would die for. However, every brand has a creation story and that story carries interest and influence. I might not make the creation story for the Nike folks (Bowerman and Knight) more famous, because there is an inherent danger in perpetuation and continuity. For example, Wendy's famous founder Dave Thomas passes away and they are struggling to keep the brand relevant without him. Nike is a brand that's not dependent upon its founders, it lives on without them at the forefront. But with that said, I probably would make access to their interesting start more findable.