Our first seven facts in our part one article of 15 facts you never knew about Nike entertained and may have even shocked you, and we have finally come back with part two! If you thought our first article was surprising, the top eight facts on our list really have the scoop on our favorite shoe brand. Read on to find out everything there is to know!
Number Eight: Green Sneakers. We have all heard the schmooze from modern companies claiming that their products are somehow better for the environment. Nike, however, is dedicated to truly being a “green” company. As credited by Clean Air Planet, an eco-enforcing group to better the environment, Nike is in the top three of the world’s most environmentally friendly corporations.
Number Seven: Battling the Beatles. The corporation suffered a legal battle in 1987 with the Beatles- but they survived. After using John Lennon’s song Revolution in a commercial using licensing from EMI and Michael Jackson, the remaining Beatles stood up for Lennon. Figuring Lennon wouldn’t appreciate his deeply moving song to sell sneakers, the Beatles took EMI, Michael Jackson, and Nike to court. The ad was removed from the air, and the court action was settled with a large sum.
Number Six: Creating Claymation. Claymation is a beloved technique for animation that is still in use today. Most people are unaware that Knight had a large financial claim on the company responsible for the creation of such technique, Will Vinton Studios. Soon, Knight possessed the whole company from this claim. They changed the name of the company to Laika, which is still producing Claymated hits today.
Number Five: Creating Cole Haan. Nike is also responsible for the emergence of the brand Cole Haan. In 2012, the production of this brand proved to be too much of a financial burden, so they put it up for sale. The rights were purchased by Apax Partners Worldwide for $570 million.
Number Four: The First Pair. After the name change, Nike had already grown a sizable reputation for their distribution of running shoes. However, they did not create the first line of their own until 1968. The Nike Cortez was born and featured unique rubber sole technology for enhanced grip for running.
Number Three: Monster Moore. Once considered to be a man of strict morals, Michael Moore approached chairman Knight in 1998 with intimidating questions about his suspected abuse of labor conditions. Respectfully and gratefully, Knight answered the questions with honesty. It may have had some difficult consequences, but his verisimilitude was appreciated.
Number Two: Taking Nike. In 2005, Oregon imposed upon the rights of Nike’s headquarters. Washington Country had attempted to annex an estimated 46 acres of land, on which the company’s base resided. Their intent was believed to be to sell the land for financial gain, but Nike took them to court and put an end to their plans.
Number One: International Success. Nike has certainly grown with wild success since their beginning in the 1960’s. They have store locations across a span of 46 countries, a growing number of 700 stores, and an impressive factory force. The only criticism received is for their large number of Asian-based factories, meaning most of their production is not domestic.