Nike Women Tour: Product Positioning, Target Market, SWOT Analysis, Competitive Advantage Essay.

1)Choice of company (organizer of the sport events) has to be an existing company which has reputation and experiences in hosting sport events (e.g Nike, IRONMAN Asia). For the event, it is an event proposing by you (u can make it up) but suggested to be a run/marathon event. 
2)At some point, have to analyse the competitor (specifically make compare on both the chosen organizer and the competitor) based on their 4Ps, SWOT, competitive advantage and product positioning. 

Overview of Nike's Product Mix, Pricing Strategy, Distribution Channels and Advertising Methods

NIKE is a company, which designs and sells higher quality of footwear accessory products and equipments. The company is the biggest seller of athletic footwear and they sell products through the different accounts of retail (Nike.com., 2017; Morgan, 2012). The company owned retail which incorporates stores, independent distributors and license on a worldwide basis. NIKE follows a goal to deliver valuable and profitable branded footwear, accessories business and items to the shareholders. The main strategy of the company is to achieve the revenue growth of the long-term basis and creating the innovative growth. The company focuses on delivering the retail experiences and presentation. NIKE organized Women Tour is one of the largest event series of women in the world. It gave invitation to all people, especially the women in order to compete the races. Accordingly, it is important to trace out the 4ps, swot, target market of the event and its product positioning. (Nike.com., 2017)

Nike is regarded as the world’s leading company of apparel and leading footwear sports. The Higher performance of NIKE’s athletic gear is mostly targeted at the women athletes who are professional. The event  focuses on innovations, products and services in order to develop the potential of athletic, according to the views of the company (Shabani, Saen & Vazifehdoost, 2013). In this sport event, also through organizing the sport events, the people who would be coming to attend the event specially the coaches and other athletes can buy the products of NIKE. The company also focuses on the women customers. During Half Women Marathon, the targeted market of event was Women (Morgan, 2012). Even to look from a general perspective, the training segment of women is growing at a faster pace than the training segment of men. With the view to keep in mind about the future growth, the young athletes form bigger part of the strategies of sales especially in the categories such as running, basketball and soccer. In this event, as well, the basketball players are to be encouraged to buy the products of company. The Young athletes form the target market of NIKE and through the organization of such events. Nike has laid down a number of strategies in order to target the immediate types of consumers, sportsmen and other athletes, celebrity athelets and other college athletes. This strategy has become successful for its capacity to reach larger number athletes.   If the team manager prescribed a particular type of track shoes made by the company, the trainees would not going to have any option but buy those products from the company (Nike.com., 2017)

SWOT Analysis of Nike Women Tour

( Csepiel & Karin, 2012)

Strengths: The Event has strong assets at the various lists of targets in their exploration, growth of base and lifestyles. The event reflects the explorations of the production and a greater vatiety of shoes, apparels and accessories. The Event stands for healthy and safety, integrity and honesty and corporate citizenship and a team of higher performance. Through this marathon event,  it promoted Nike as one of the world’s important shoemaker. It designs shoes and sells for a number of sports which include basketball, golf, volleyball, football and tennis. (Antony, 2012). The company sells its products throughout the country and also carries out in operation through this event. The company Nike has been proved to be stronger in the research and development as it is making the innovative ranges of product. Then the manufacturing takes place, which makes higher quality products. Nike is regarded as the global brand. It is the famous sport brand in the world (Nike.com., 2017; Antony, 2012).

Weaknesses: The event reflects limited scale particularly when compared to the competitors. The income of the business of event  is heavily dependent upon the shares of the market of footwear. The price of the retail sector is very sensitive. This would lead to the arrangements with the partners in order to share risks linked with the operations. This might leave the company vulnerable if the share of the market erodes. Therefore, the margins tends to get squeezed as the retailers try to pass on pressure of the competition of the lower price onto the Nike (Nike.com., 2017).

Opportunities: The development of the product offers opportunities to Nike. The event would encourage and make strong the operations through its entry into the different events of strategy. This would help Nike for the planned investments for the development of future. The brand is very much defended by the owner of the company whom believe truly that the Nike company is not regarded as a brand of fashion through this marathon event. Such the items of higher value tend to linked with them of the profit, which is high. The Business can also be developed globally through the inauguration of this event which is depending upon the strong recognition of the brand. There are also the presence of the global markets events that can be utilized well to render support to the brand such as the Olympics or  this event which is being organized by the Nike company (Antony, 2012).

Analysis of Nike's Competitive Advantage

Threats: The event is facing intense competition with the other competitors of the shoe industries. It has made Nike exposed to the trade’s international nature. It sells and buys the different currencies and hence, the margins and costs are unstable over a longer period of time. Such an exposure means that the Nike may be manufacturing, selling, or loss. This is an important issue, which is being faced by the global brands other than the Nike. The market or the sports garments or shoes are regarded as very competitive, the event was not that competitive enough to advertise the Nike products. The competitors are developing the alternative brands to take away the market share of the company (Nike.com., 2017).

The product positioning of the Event through Nike can happen through the Page of Pre event. In any types of social blogs, a pre event page can be created and accordingly, it becomes a centre page to attract people and also on the pre event page, the promotion of the product can be done, which would be the centre of attraction for the company. Through the success of social media, it becomes important for the event to start the event promotion through the proper positioning of the targeted product and can create blog on that particular product. Through advertisements, guest posts and paid promotion, the product positioning strategy of the event can be done, which would promote the success of the Nike products (Armstrong et al., 2015).

The event would finally through this event, would boost the sports product of Nike and this could lead to the advertisements of the product and finally would boost popularity of the product. Accordingly, the product positioning would gather momentum through this event and people participating would take interest to buy products.

Competitive advantage of event means that the company is at its best. Through the alternation of the marketing of the needs of the customers, the company has been successful   player in the past and it continues till today. In order to judge the competitive advantages, the analysis of the porter’s five forces (Nike.com., 2017; Laszlo & Zhexembayeva, 2017).

Threat of the new entrants: Other than the competition coming from the regular rivals, the many new comers are carrying out many new forms of strategies and they have even targeted the the market through the promotions of events, such as Adidas and Reebok. Despite the difficulties which are taking an entry because of the single currency and the rules of the trade, the sales of the consumers outside the USA has surpassed the sales in the country in the year 2003 with 44% of the sales of the company which are coming from America (Alexandris & Kaplanidou, 2014).

Product Positioning and Target Market Strategies

Threat of the substitute goods: When the products are coming in use for professional use as the fashionable items, there are other goods, which can be purchased from the other events organized by the other companies.

Bargaining power of the customers: For the sake of attributes, the consumers not only buy the products, the consumers buy for having experiences as well. The product might be proved to be good but as long as the goods are perceived by the customers not to be superior or not carry difference from others, the product cannot become successful. Nike, through the recent event followed this law and made its product of the marketing successful (Nike.com., 2017; Laszlo & Zhexembayeva, 2017).

Supplier’s bargaining powers: By using the facilities of production Marathon Event, has given the economies of Nike a scale. However, the problems are arising out of these factors and they are shifting in manufacturing innovative goods and labors. However, Nike fought against the issues of society and politics and it is maintaining the name of the brand. 

Rivalry among the competitors: Nike being one of the greatest Companies of sports, the business is having the biggest advantages of cost over the competition through the organization of this event. It has its supports in economy in the distribution and marketing over the rivals (Nike.com., 2017; Laszlo & Zhexembayeva, 2017).

Nike depends on the marketing mix in order to enhance growth of its growth and profits. The 4PS would determine the strategies of companies that would be utilized for the proper execution of the marketing mix.

• Products

Nike comes with the changes of the product mix. The elements of the marketing mix states about the different product mix such as Shoes, equipments and accessories and apparels, which are the prime attraction of the company. (Khan, 2014).

• Place

The company sells its sports shoe, equipments and apparels through the place where the event is taking place. This would make the identity of brand apparent as soon as the guests would start to appear.

• Promotion

Nike regards promotion through the means of advertisement as one of the biggest contributors in order to attract customers specially which involves the endorsers of celebrity, such as sports teams and professional athletes  (Jian et al., 2015).  The other forms of promotions, which are practiced by Nike, are Direct Marketing, maintaining public relations, promotion of sales and selling personally (Jian et al., 2015).

• Price

As mentioned earlier, the event would use Value based strategy of pricing, to make sure about the growth of profits and sales. Accordingly, the company can use this strategy, the company takes into consideration the perception of the consumers and the products’ values (Nike.com., 2017; Khan, 2014; Yeoman et al., 2012).

Women’s marathon event has followed a management structure where under the event Director, The program coordinator would deal with entries, ceremonies, tabulation of results and publishing. Venue Coordinator would look forward for the venue bookings, team set up and environmental control (Allen et al., 2012). Equipment coordinator would manage the equipments of sound, transport. The promotions coordinator includes the media liaison, advertising, media kits and publicity. Officials coordinator are the umpires, referees and master of the ceremonies and the merchandising co-coordinator includes sales team, volunteer’s out lifting and giveaways (Supovitz, 2013).

The three years sales of Forecast has been achieved from the website of Nike. It depicts the three years forecast about the sales of event. The calculations listed below would further help to know the estimation and the profit that the sales is going to achieve in the next three years. The forecast has been done through the methods of calculations through the estimation made out  of the conversation rate and the customer’s worth.

(Nike.com., 2017)

Conclusion 

Therefore, it can be concluded that Nike sponsored event for the promotion of their sales and accordingly in the report, it is discussed that how Nike is regarded as one of the best stores for sports. It has been discussed in the report about its competitive analysis of the event  and how Nike through the events, promote its products to its target market. The strategic implementation and the market analysis of the Event is being discussed through the SWOT analysis and the Porter’s five forces. Accordingly, it can be stated that Nike has covered a very good position in the Sports industry as compare to the other sports industry. Finally, the management style of the Event has been discussed and three years forecast of the event which would earn profit to the company.

References 

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