Diversification Strategy of Nike

It is very interesting to discuss corporate level strategy of Nike. Diversification is major tool of
corporate level strategies. Accordingly, there are different levels of diversification. Nike products are
the typical example moderate-high, related constrained diversification. It means that around 70% of
revenues come from major business fields, all businesses share product, technological, and
distribution linkages. Indeed, nike has its major products that yield biggest share of income: Apparel
and shoes. However there are numerous different products which constitute around 35 % of company
income. For dominant and minor products company uses same distribution channels, technological
and other resources. As Nike annual report describes Our 40% of our sales come from athletic
apparel, sports equipment, and subsidiary ventures. Nike maintains traditional and non-traditional
distribution channels in more than 100 countries targeting its primary market regions: United States,
Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Americas (not including the United States). We utilize over 20,000
retailers, Nike factory stores, Nike stores, NikeTowns, Cole Haan stores, and internet-based Web
sites to sell our sports and leisure products.
As management describes in annual rapport Our primary product focus is athletic footwear designed
for specific-sport and/or leisure use(s). We also sell athletic apparel carrying the same trademarks
and brand names as many of our footwear lines. Among our newer product offerings, we sell a line
of performance equipment under the Nike brand name that includes sport balls, timepieces, eyewear,
skates, bats, and other equipment designed for sports activities. In addition, we utilize the following
wholly-owned subsidiaries to sell additional sports-related merchandise and raw materials: Cole
Haan Holdings Inc., Nike Team Sports, Inc., Nike IHM, Inc., and Bauer Nike Hockey Inc.
Our most popular product categories include the following:
Running
Basketball
Cross-Training
Outdoor Activities
Tennis
Golf
Soccer
Baseball
Football
Bicycling
Volleyball
Wrestling
Cheerleading
Aquatic Activities
Auto Racing
Other athletic and recreational uses

Besides product diversification Nike must pay close attention to manufacturing and supply chain
diversification as well. Global economic crisis and uncertainties increased importance of such
diversification. NIKE depends heavily on Strategic Outsourcing. Virtually all footwear products are
produced outside the United States. There were seven contract suppliers outside the US that
manufactured NIKE brand footwear in 2003. China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand manufactured
38%, 27%, 18% and 16% of total NIKE footwear respectively. In FY2003, only approximately 1%
of total NIKE brand apparel was manufactured in the US. Independent contractors located in 35
countries manufactured the remainder. Such manufacturing strategy enables Nike to get the best
deals and decrease risks.
Supplier diversity is a very important part of a successful business and since NIKEs customers are
on a worldwide scale, the company needs as broad a base of suppliers as possible to actively and
significantly reflect the world in which it operates. NIKE relies heavily on its supplier relationships
to help the company arrive at innovative and creative solutions, to understand its business, and to
help it reach its goals. Furthermore, with such a large and diverse supplier base, NIKE is able to have
a strong presence in the markets it operates, and it has a solid brand name that is recognizable
worldwide, with strong credibility.


Strengths
The biggest strength of Nike is that it is an extremely competitive organization with its approach of
Just Do It slogan for its brand epitomizing its attitude towards business. The company was
founded on the principle that it would make shoes for anyone who could walk or run and this has
been the guiding philosophy behind Nike. Coupled with its iconic Swoosh logo and its equally
catchy tagline, Nikes strength is that it has emerged as a Can Do company.
Strength of the company is that it has outsourced all aspects of its production to overseas
facilities and thereby, does not have any manufacturing outlet of its own. This has helped the
company focus on higher value adding activities like design and research and development and
at the same time, it has saved the high labor costs that are part of the traditional manufacturing
sector.
Apart from this, the other big strength of Nike is that it is a globally recognized brand that has top
of the mind recall among consumers and the youth in particular. Further, the Nike brand is
synonymous with quality and resilience as well as endurance and fitness, which makes it the
brand of choice for athletes and anyone who wishes to run.
Finally, Nike stands to benefit from the current disarray among its competitors because of the
fragmentation of the market wherein Nike with its USP or Unique Selling Proposition can
standalone among them.
Weaknesses
Nike is almost exclusively driven by its footwear business and therefore, the footwear market
contributes to a lions share of its revenues making it dependent on this segment for its survival.
In these recessionary times, it is not a good business practice to be overly dependent on one
segment and hence, Nike ought to diversify horizontally as well as vertically and include apparel
and other accessories.
Though we have mentioned the fact that it has outsourced its manufacturing aspects completely
as strength, the negative publicity that Nike got because of labor unfriendly conditions in its
overseas outlets has badly dented its brand image. Indeed, the name Sweatshops is used to
mockingly describe the abhorrent conditions in its overseas manufacturing facilities.
The company does its business through retailers who stock other brands as well. This means that
the assiduously cultivated exclusivity is sometimes sacrificed because it has not yet spread its
wings to include exclusive retailer outlets as part of its business strategy.
Nike is perceived by some consumers as being too premium and a luxury brand. While this is
necessarily not a bad thing, the current market scenario is such that consumers are migrating to
the middle tier of the luxury scale as they are becoming price conscious and quality focused.
Opportunities
The biggest opportunity for Nike is from the emerging markets of China and India where the
Billion Plus new consumers are now aspiring to western lifestyles which means that they would
be more receptive to brands like Nike. As the company is associated with premium branding and
segmentation, it can be said that capturing the emerging market newly affluent consumers prize
could well be a game changer for the company.
In recent years, Nike has begun to diversify into accessories and other premium products apart
its signature footwear segment. This is a step in the right direction and something, which would
stand the company in good stead as it attempts to look for revenues beyond its traditional
offerings.
The emphasis on design of higher end footwear seems to be paying off for Nike that is
increasingly being seen as a must have product for anyone who walks or runs and as the
company was founded on the principle that it would serve anyone with legs, this strategy seems
to have hit the right notes.
Nike has the unique advantage of offering value for money and this can be leveraged to the hilt
as the company begins to make inroads into the newer consumer segments, which want quality
at an affordable price.
Threats
The fact that the company has a global supply chain means that it is subject to the vicissitudes of
international trade practices including labor strikes in its overseas locations, currency fluctuations
that decrease its margins, as well as lack of control over the geopolitical events happening
around the world which have the potential to disrupt its global supply chain.
Nike must improve on its image wherein it is being seen as resorting to exploitative business
practices in its overseas outlets. Already, it had to pay a heavy price (monetarily as well as
metaphorically) because the emerging generation of consumers are socially and environmentally
conscious which means that they would not like to buy a product that is the result of dubious
business practices.
The ongoing recession has taken a heavy toll on Nike with consumers becoming more price
conscious and retailers demanding higher margins. The combination of retailing in third party
outlets and competing brands cutting prices has made the going tough for Nike.
Finally, Nike has to ensure that it does not dilute its focus like some of its competitors who are
now in the doldrums. For instance, Reebok that promised a lot and was intensely competitive with
Nike has seen its fortunes sag and hence, Nike must not go Reeboks way and instead, must
define its core competence and implement its strategies accordingly.