Nike: King of Them All

The swoosh is one of the most recognized symbols in the whole world. It does not have any words around the symbol, but most consumers can instantly identify it. This is simply amazing for a shoe company that started with just running shoes.

A brief history, Bill Bowerman and Geoff Hollister collaborated to make a company that made great running shoes. Bowerman was the cross country and track coach at the University of Oregon when Steve Prefontaine was running for UO. Bowerman literally used a waffle iron in order to create a shoe that was light weight and functional for track running events. And as they say, the rest is history.

Today, Nike is a sponsor to a host of athletes in various sports from basketball to track and field with everything in-between. The most recognizable faces of Nike at this point in time include: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Dwayne Wade, and still Michaels Jordan.

Nike is definitely the top dog in all the athletic clothing in the United States. They generate a huge amount of fan interest and consumer curiosity due to the stars they have under their name. And, still to this day, teens and young adults alike are still wowed by "the Jordan." There was even a joke about it in "Get Him to the Greek" when P. Diddy's character referenced the popluarity of Air Jordan's for his six children. In the foreseeable future, Nike will continue to dominate the American landscape

-John

Under Armour is Armed with Sponsorships

Under Armour orginally broke out into the sportswear industry with their compression shirts/shorts and for the longest time that is all I thought they did. In my mind they were a sports brand but just serving this one purpose to a small number of athletes. Now they have expanded their product line into different types of apparel and shoes and it is apparent the company has transitioned into being a top brand name. In working to target the serious athlete, they are centering campaigns and commercials around ideas that would most appeal to these people.

I think a large part of Under Armour's increased popularity is due to their sponsorship of specific athletes and athletic teams. Some of their biggest athletes are

• Tom Brady
• AJ Hawk
• Cam Newton
• Brandon Jennings
• Michael Phelps

However, it seems as though the focus is more on the sponsoring of college teams. The two teams considered as Under Armour's "flagship athletic programs" are the Auburn Tigers and Maryland Terrapins. They direct towards the hard-working athlete in effort to establish themselves as a serious player in the sports apparel and shoe industry.

Are Under Armour's campaigns and use of athletes enough to be considered a serious contender when it comes to Nike and Adidas? Or is the focus on college teams taking away from their full potential of exposure? Let us know what you think!

Let's Check out UA!

Under Armour offers a variety of clothing for men, women and children. They offer tops, bottoms, underwear, outerwear, footwear and accessories. Under Armour caters to all of the popular sports and carries products that appeal to their needs. The Under Armour products are made out of a spandex material that are extremely comfortable. Consumers love these form-fitting products for their workouts.

One of the men's products that are rather popular are the Under Armour Scout Knit Pants. These are a sweat-pant type bottom and are great for working out or lounging around. The price for the pants are $49.99 plus tax and come in black or white. See below for a picture of these great pants!

Although consumers love Under Armour clothes and accessories, let's not forget about their shoes! The Under Armour Assert shoe is great for running. The minimalistic structure of the shoe makes running in it pretty darn speedy. The bright colors of the shoes are sure to get you noticed. In fact this shoe comes in several different color combinations and is priced at $69.99. See below for a picture of the UA Assert shoes.

Men Wear Lingerie?!

Under Amour founder Kevin Plank invented lingerie for men....sort of. He was a former University of Maryland football player who wanted to keep players dry, light and quick during practice and competition. He was tired of having his practice clothes constantly stick to him after had practiced hard and was dripping in sweat. So he created something that would solve that....Under Amour.

It is a synthetic material, which is elastic and flexible in nature, much like lingerie for women. But it is not a ladies only product at all. Since its inception in 1996, Under Amour has been worn by many National Football League players to protect themselves from the cold or the heat. And, the football crowd remains the largest segment for Under Armour.

Many of their commercials have a very excited football player exclaiming the team must protect the home field from defeat. This was a very effective ad to portray exactly what Under Armour stands for and how they want to be received. They are trying to venture out into different sports, but it has not been received as well has their foot ball line has been received. We will have to wait to see what happens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnECY26PSHk&feature=related

Is Skechers Sketchy?

Skechers has not really been a big player in the athletic shoe industry. They have a sporting line but most all athletes pass it over for a different brand because of the lame image. In addition, they are not really the best product when it comes to sport shoes, they seem to copy what the others are doing instead of focusing on a good product of their own.

Skechers' partnerships and sponsorships are reflective of the lack of athletic support. I only came across two..

• Sponsored LA Sports Activities Awards ceremony in 2011
• Partnership with the Kardashians (reality TV family)

Neither of these relationships looks like they would put the Skechers brand into the public's mind or help to register themselves as a serious sporting shoe company. Recently, with the introduction of the Shape-Ups, Skechers appears to be trying to integrate themselves deeper into the sporting industry, but the Reebok Reetone has an advantage in the market because of brand image.

What do you think of Skechers and their brand image?

Sketchers..Fact or Fiction?

As we mentioned Monday, Sketchers has recently come out with a brand of shoes called Shape-ups. This is a controversial shoe because some believe that it is a scam and others think it is very beneficial to those who don't work out regularly. The Shape-ups are designed with a kinetic wedge insert and rolling bottom to stimulate walking on soft sand. This may result in stronger leg and buttock muscles. Sketchers says that Shape-ups are designed to help burn calories and turn everyday activities into a workout. They also claim that these shoes can: improve posture, strengthen your back, firm buttock, tone and firm thighs, firm calves, improve circulation, tighten abdominal muscles, and reduce joint stress. This seems like an awful lot to promise, but later we will look into what consumers think of the product.

As you might remember seeing on the Super Bowl, Sketchers had an ad for their Shape-ups. They used the sexy Kim Kardashian to advertise how wonderful these shoes were. If you missed out on the ad, take a look below to watch the commercial.

The Shape-up shoes are priced between $80-100. This is much more expensive than the other brands we have looked into over the last few weeks. The question is, are they worth it? To me, the price is somewhat deceiving because they advertising on their website that the shoes are affordable, and in my eyes, $100 for a pair of shoes is not affordable.

Consumer reviews were mixed on this issue. Some liked the shoes and others did not. It was mentioned in the reviews that consumers initially liked them, but after a year they were tired of them and ended up putting them in the "trash" pile. Although the shoes did live up to some of their expectation, they did not seize to conquer all. Some concerns about this product were that they could be seen as dangerous because the tall sole may cause people to topple over. One consumer said that there was no support for your foot inside of the shoe, and another consumer said although they are "fun" they may not be a great exercise shoe. Check out Mike Bomberger's blog on the product liability of Sketcher's Shape-ups: http://product liability.lawyers.com/blogs/archives/11866-Skechers-Shape-ups-Injury-Attorneys-Caution-Consumers-About-Dangers-of-Toning-Shoes.html

On a side note, I would like to make attention of the importance of blog marketing. Other blogs besides your own represent a new promotional channel for the success of your company or your own individual blog. By gaining the support of other influential bloggers, you will be able to better endorse your products or opinions about other products. This is important because consumers look at related blogs to gain insight on a product they are thinking about purchasing.

Jessica

The Exception to All the Rules

Sketchers is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to sports apparel. They are not typically the first company that comes to mind when thinking of a shoe to wear for exercising, but don't tell them. If fact, they created what might be the most controversial shoe ever: the Shapeups.

The Shapeups are not like any other shoe out there, and give an identity to Sketchers. It was quite brilliant of the management team to drastically change the image of what Sketchers stood for. The only people I had ever seen wearing Sketchers middle-aged women. Before the Shapeups, there were not many people in America that could relate to Sketchers. I am sure more people are aware of the brand now. They have become so popular that a radio show host on ESPN radio decided to give them a try.

Designed to make it easier to "workout" even during a busy day. There have been many converters and haters on this product. It is viewed as a fake as far as athletic wear goes. "They are just trying to attract those who don't workout," many have said. But that is exactly the point.