ABSTRACT
The early 1970s were a wonderful time for the upstart shoe company Nike. Nike had introduced a radical design (the waffle tread) that was clearly visible and widely perceived to be superior to the competition’s designs. This radical innovation even came with a founding narrative that included one of America’s most recognized running coaches using his wife’s waffle iron to fashion the very first version. Nike had adopted a distinctive brand logo (the swoosh), and perhaps most importantly, Nike had recruited top international medium- and long-distance runners to wear Nike shoes in the Olympics and widely followed (by runners, at any rate) marathons and other long-distance races. With these steps, Nike had begun to make great inroads against the entrenched market share leader – Adidas. What could possibly go wrong?
