Marketing Analysis of Oakley, Inc.
For my strategic sports marketing project, I decided to report on the sports marketing activities of a particular corporation. I specifically wanted to report on the marketing operations of a rather diverse company; one that offers more than one product line for more than one sport. Oakley, Inc. is a company that offers several different products for a wide range of sports. I will now briefly describe the company and its operations, as well as its primary sports marketing goals and objectives.
Company Info.
Oakley, Inc. is a Washington corporation formed in March 1994 to succeed to the assets and liabilities of Oakley, Inc., a California corporation, which commenced operations in 1977 and began to sell sunglasses in 1984 (Scott, 1998). The company is an innovation-driven designer, manufacturer and distributor of consumer products, including high-performance eyewear, footwear, watches and athletic equipment. Oakley’s principal strength is its ability to develop products which demonstrate superior performance and comfort through the combination of patented and other proprietary technology and unique styling. The company has focused on eyewear innovations for sports applications, and its products are worn by a variety of athletes, such as skiers, cyclists, runners, surfers, golfers, tennis and baseball players and motocross riders. In addition, the company’s products, which are currently sold in over 70 countries worldwide, have become increasingly popular with fashion-oriented consumers in the larger nonsports, or recreational, segment of the sunglass market. Oakley’s products currently include sunglasses (e.g., Frogskins, M Frames, Zeros, Wires, Jackets, X Metal, Fives, and Topcoat), goggles, face shields for use with sports helmets, sunglass accessories, gear bags and a limited range of athletic footwear, technical apparel and premium timepieces (Scott, 1998).
With focus on consumers for the next generation, the company has established itself as a legitimate world brand with unique expertise in product design, performance and production.
Product Design & Development
State-of-the-art technology allows Oakley to shorten dramatically its product development cycle. Stereolithographic computer modeling is combined with CAD/CAM liquid laser prototyping to create fully detailed, wearable proto...
... middle of paper ...
...r efforts onto their footwear division. Many people are suggesting that Oakley’s expansion into the athletic shoe market is doomed to be unsuccessful. However, with their continued success in the eyewear market, Oakley has proved that they have a good idea of how to sell their products. I would suggest trying to get a high profile athlete, such as Michael Jordan, to endorse the shoes. Strive to gain the customers attention and awareness of the footwear. The more a customer sees the shoes on TV and being worn by high profile athletes, the more likely they are to purchase the shoes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe that Oakley has a strong grasp on the market and it is in large part because of their marketing strategy. It seems that everywhere one looks, they will see several people with Oakley sunglasses around their eyes. Because of Oakey’s well trained marketers they are able to succeed in how to properly promote and advertise their products. Oakley has a well rounded mix of ways to get theirs products out into the consumers minds. As we head into the next millennium, I believe that Oakley will find even more unique and effective ways to market their innovative products.
The company has established good relationships with most of its customers which has assisted it to create high level of brand and customer loyalty
Mihai, Alexandru. “The Strategic Sports Marketing Planning Process.” Manager. Manager Journal, 2013. Web. 6 December 2013.
The company had to be the second largest retailer shop in the US; it has many advantages that come along. The customers well acknowledge the company and its brand have been well established.
One thing I like about Nike is how accessible it is. You can find Nike products just about anywhere such as Nike outlets, Dicks Sporting Goods, Khols, Macy and other big department stores, as well as online. Some companies don’t make it as easy to find and buy their products which can be a struggle. I hate when I’m in need of a certain product but companies limit their access, and I can’t get what I need when I need it. Nike makes it easy to find and buy their products at any
According to (Pittman, Keiley, & Kerpelman, 2011), Bowlby theorized that it is the interactions between people that form connections and develop attachments. There are four different types of attachments; secure, avoidant, and anxious ambivalent. When we look at this theory applied to children we see that a secure attachment is when children are most comfortable when their parents are around and are easy to soothe by the parents. Insecure or avoidant attachment is when the child doesn’t prefer to be near the parents and could care less if the parents are absent. This happened when the parents failed to meet their child’s needs, despite a child expressing their needs. Anxious ambivalent attachment is when the child won’t leave their parents side, even if it is to explore their surroundings, is distraught if the parents leave, and mistrusting if the parents try to comfort after leaving (Arnett, & Maynard,
The corporation should invest more money in research and innovation since this is what has helped them to make a product that rivals their competitors. At the same time, it is imperative for them to improve their machinery for cheap labor costs which will help the company increase its production allowing it to meet the demand in the market. By improving production leading to lower costs of making shoes, apparel, and equipment, Nike will achieve higher demand assuming a quality product is maintained in that process. They will stand a better chance of competing in the industry (Hill, 2009). The organization is already in a better position for meeting the demand, customer taste, and needs. The company should improve quality by focusing on developing lightweight products that are more durable compared to those offered by the competitors. Also, Nike can keep up their success by continuing to reinvent and improve their items and continue to meet the current demand by using new technology. It can also use the Internet to communicate with consumers (Hill, 2009). By developing new technology, Nike will allow the customers to suggest and design their shoes online. To achieve this goal, it is fundamental to enhance areas such as their website to make it more user-friendly. Finally, the company should pay attention to small startup organizations that enter the
Consumers must be aware of the changes that might occur in Nike through media and social awareness
Marketing companies know that by associating a product with an athlete it can drastically increase sales. Fig 1. Gaines, Cork. "... ... middle of paper ... ...
There are many products in each product line because a trendy company like Steve Madden offers many different styles of shoes. Flat shoes, boots, heels, and super high heels. Every season the styles and colors change for the shoes that they sell and the older styles go on sale. The Brand name for the company is Steve Madden and their brand mark is the name in the circle. The name is in the Brand Mark so that it is always clear what company the brand mark is talking about. You can never get confused with what company makes the shoe or posted the ad because the name is always on it. The company has been continuing moving forward. There may have been some rocky points, Steve Madden knows exactly how to continue running strong. What competition is there? None.
Before we can expect people to alter their perceptions, they must understand what it is. Dyslexia is a learning disability linked to those who struggle with reading. Although, it seems pretty simple, dyslexia is extremely challenging to identify because it is not defined by one specific thing. Moreover, it includes a wide array of difficulties such as: trouble spelling words, reading quickly, writing out words, “sounding out words in” head, pronunciation and comprehension.
Attachment theory as defined by Harris and White (2013) examines the connection between infants and young children to their caregivers. Studying attachment is important in understanding behavior because it develops at such a young age and has an influence on all future relationships including dysfunctional family connections, challenges to adolescent peer relationships (Iwaniec & Sneddon, 2001; Reyome, 2010; ). As identified by Ainsworth (1982), there are three categories of attachment which include secure, avoidant, and anxious/ambivalent. In 1990, Main and Solomon concluded that a fourth category should be noted which they identified as being disorganized/disoriented. These different styles of attachment are theorized to have long-term
The marketing goals are: Increase customer retention, Increase eCommerce Sales, Increase our Community Involvement. The first goal specifically works towards reaching 60% repeat sales through different promotional strategies like emotional marketing and sponsoring different professional athletes. Customer retention is extremely important to maintain Nike’s market leader position. Increasing eCommerce is a major focus for Nike. Last year we were able to increase our eCommerce sales by a profitable 51%. Our second goal is to continue this trend by increasing online sales by 50% every year for the next four years. It is our belief that doing so will solidify Nike as a leader in the online athletic market. Nike truly believes that sport can change
Thirdly, the company is committed to delivering superior quality of products and services. It earned a reputation of a convenient and reliable brand that offers the lowest prices, one of the fastest and lowest shipping, widest selection of goods, and many additional features with its services.
Nike is a company-- young and yet mature--developed and respected by popular athletes both past and present, whose icon remains a "swoosh" printed both large and small on many different forms of apparel. The "swoosh" constitutes a dream of being the best bec...
In reviewing the case of New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. it is clear that there are a few major problems that the company is facing. First of all, New Balance falls behind its other major competitors, Nike, Adidas and Reebok, in the area of marketing. Unlike its competitors, New Balance does not undertake celebrity endorsements. This puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to brand building. This also causes the company to lose out somewhat on gaining awareness on a global scale as it lacks endorsements in major sporting events. Most global brand names generate strong brand recognition through celebrity endorsements in sporting events that would give them the needed momentum to carry their brand name further into the global market.