The success of NIKE, Inc. is deemed miracle by professionals on both Wall Street and Madison Avenue. Research done in the past tends to credit the growth of NIKE, Inc. to its marketing strategies. By placing the achievement of the company in the postmodern context, this study analyzes the cultural factors which contribute to the company's achievement. A brief yet well-documented history of NIKE, Inc. is provided. The nature and function of NIKE, Inc.'s athlete endorsements and contemporary sport are analyzed in a cultural context. The cultural significance of three representative NIKE advertisements, and the globalization of NIKE, Inc. are also scrutinized. A literature review provides theoretical guidelines to the understanding of the relationship between the business achievement of NIKE, Inc. and the postmodern reality we are living in today. Interviews with 38 key informants and questionnaire surveys show that NIKE, Inc. is a dream factory which uses the American Dream as a selling point to expand its market both within the United States and overseas. Therefore, the success of NIKE, Inc. should be viewed more as a cultural phenomenon than as a business achievement. / Graduation date: 1995 / Best scan available for figures. Original is a black and white photocopy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 239-261). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

This study seeks to show how Nike, Inc. has effectively followed a strategy to increase the sale of its products that can be characterized as propaganda. Regarding method, this is a qualitative study which applied the propaganda analysis plan developed by Jowett & O'Donnell (1992) to examine and describe (1) Nike's ideology, (2) corporate structure and culture, (3) purpose, (4) targeted audiences, (5) the dissemination of the propaganda, (6) techniques for increasing its effectiveness, (7) existing counterpropaganda and contradictions, and (8) the effectiveness of the campaign. The study provides evidence that Nike engages in propaganda through an organized, systematic, and deliberate attempt to influence the beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, and actions of specific audiences for the purpose of accomplishing fixed objectives.

Text in English / Brand reputation has received the attention of many scholars and practitioners because it is central to the success of organisations of all kinds, and an intangible asset with no substitute. In the academic world, brand reputation has been demarcated by various scholars, depending on the disciplinary mind-set involved. It has been established that diverse stakeholder groups have different needs from a brand and their perceptions of brand reputation are thus varied. Acknowledging the needs of different stakeholders and the importance of the consumer stakeholder group allows for a more nuanced and systematic approach in conceptualising brand reputation. Although numerous studies have attempted to explain brand reputation, there is a paucity of studies that have actually conceptualised brand reputation as an attitudinal construct based on both cognitive (rational) and affective (emotional) components. Even fewer researchers have endeavoured to conceptualise brand reputation as an attitudinal construct in the consumer stakeholder group. The aim of this study was to explore female consumer perceptions of Nike’s brand reputation and conceptualise brand reputation as an attitudinal construct based on both cognitive and affective components. The study used qualitative research methods (focus groups and interviews) to collect data on Nike from a group of female consumers in order to identify perceptions and elements that contribute to conceptualising brand reputation on the basis of the components of attitudes. The key findings of this study highlighted the fact that brand reputation is a multidimensional construct and can be demarcated through various elements that contribute to the following themes: perception of product qualities and service, the perception of brand traits and the perception of brand strategy. These themes contribute to the conceptualisation of brand reputation as an attitudinal construct. Since brand reputation as an attitudinal construct has previously been conceptualised based on cognitive and affective components, this study confirmed the two components but a unique finding of this study was the identification of the behavioural component of attitudes. Hence the study findings not only make a contribution to the existing body of knowledge on perceptions of brand reputation in an elusive stakeholder group – female consumers, consumer-based reputation (CBR), and in defining brand reputation but also conceptualise brand reputation as an attitudinal construct based on previously identified cognitive and affective components as well as the newfound behavioural component of attitudes. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication Science)

The purpose of this study is to examine the evolution of six U.S. corporate logos – Apple, McDonald‟s, Nike, Pepsi, Shell, and Starbucks – from each logo‟s inception until the newest version of the graphic emblem today. The objective is to determine the meanings that logos have for a corporation‟s identity, mission, and relationships, as well as the messages that logos convey to viewers (i.e., mostly customers). By “evolution” of logos here, the researcher means “ongoing transformation” of logos. The semiotic model used in this analysis is Charles Sanders Peirce‟s (1958 [1931]) semiotic framework. Peircean semiotics is made up of a three-part paradigm of signification: the representamen (or the sign itself), the object (or “referent” – what the sign refers to), and the interpretant (the effect on the viewer, or the viewer‟s interpretation). Based on the semiotic data on logo evolution, the researcher found six main themes that emerged across the analyses of U.S. corporate logos. These themes are (1) Direction toward the Future, (2) Identity with Viewers, (3) Instant Recognition and Distinctiveness, (4) Consistency throughout Evolution, (5) Invocation of Change, and (6) True Representation of Corporate Identity. The ultimate conclusion of this analysis is that the communicative intent of a company, through its logo, tends to take a long time to develop. A successful logo is one that portrays the true objectives and principles of a company. For this reason, the ideal identity of a corporation tends to be built over a long period of time, which makes logo improvement “evolutionary” in nature. In all six cases, communication plays a major part in logo improvement.