Topic: Nike
Organization: I will organize my speech topically.
Specific Purpose: To help the audience understand the history behind the famous Nike brand and the positive contributions it brings.
I. Introduction:
A. Attention getter: Last year alone, Nike was able to provide jobs to over seventy thousand people.
B. Relevance: Almost every individual owns a piece of clothing from Nike. Background information and interesting facts about a well known clothing and sports company will only enhance common knowledge.
C. Credibility statement: Being an all-things-Nike fanatic, I have dedicated time to research statistics and the history behind this multi-billion dollar company. The information retrieved has come from the nike website itself, along with other credible sites.
D. Central idea: Nike is much more than just a company that provides athletes and other individuals with running shoes, it also provides jobs to those who need them and strongly contributes to the economy. The heartwarming background of this large company also helps in inspiring others that starting off small in hopes of becoming larger is possible.
E. Initial preview: We will hear the history behind Nike and what it took to build the biggest sports company in the world, interesting facts and statistics regarding the multi-billion dollar company, and hear about famous athletes who have been sponsored by Nike.
Transition to 1st main point: We are going to start off with the history of Nike.
II. Body
A. Point #1: It’s crazy to think that company who bring in more than 30 billion dollars started out with a track runner and his coach.
1.
• This company was established in 1964.
• It was originally named Blue Ribbon Sports.
• It started out with selling shoes to Onitsuka Tiger, now called Asics.
• The company initially was built with $1,200.
(O’Reilly, 2014).
2. This billion dollar company was built with little money, two ordinary people, and no experience. It’s inspiring to know that success can rise from small opportunities.
3. Nike received its name from the first employee to ever work for the company. They thought that a name derived from the goddess of victory would suit the company well.
Transition to the 2nd main point: After talking about Nike’s background and history, it’s much easier to understand and be amazed at how small company can work its way up from only $1,200 investment.
B. Point #2: This two people company soon expanded and became a sports empire.
1.
• Earned over 30 billion dollars globally in the year of 2016.
• Provided over 70,000 jobs.
• Over 1,000 Nike stores in the world.
(Bender)
2. This is important to hear because the sports company, in comparison to its success now, was built from nothing.
3. I say this with emphasis because it’s truly inspiring how far a person or group of people are possible of coming along. Imagine starting out a small business with just a few thousand dollars. Most businesses nowadays require large sums of money. And Nike, a billion dollar company, started out with just $1,200. Hypothetically speaking, if you were capable of saving up a couple grand, what is to say that your company isn’t lucky enough to become a world leading company? Everyone thinks of Nike as large corporation with many business like individuals, but no one seems to remember that this company started out with just a few thousand dollars and two driven individuals.
Transition to 3rd main point: After speaking about the history of Nike and the substantial progress it has made since the day it was founded, we can talk about individuals who have helped spread its fame through endorsements.
C. Point #3: It’s no doubt that people tend to seek items worn or used by their favorite actors/athletes. Nike decided to use that to their full advantage.
• Christiano Ronaldo (27 million): Football player.
• Koby Bryant (26 million): Basketball Player.
• Kevin Durant (35million):Basketball Player.
• Lebron James (44 million) Basketball Player.
• Tiger Woods (50 million) Gold Player.
• Michael Jordan (60 million) Basketball Player.
(Weber, 2015).
2. All of these individuals are well known and happen to be endorsed by Nike. Through them, Nike is able to spread their fame more widely.
3. Once again, this $1,200 company rose from the ground and was able to pay millions of dollars to famous individuals to spread awareness over their product. This is important because it shows what a successful path can do for a small company.
III. Conclusion:
A. Transition to the conclusion: To sum it all up,
B. Restate central idea: Nike is much more than just a shoe company. Its a job provider, economy enhanced, and an inspiration to many people through its successful history of rising from only $1,200.
C. Final summary: Today we discussed how a two person company was able to transform into a company that employed thousands of individuals. We also discussed the successful statistics and the famous individuals who chose to have endorsement deals from Nike.
D. Memorable closing: In high school, I too was a long distance runner. And to think that an athlete and a coach from Ohio were able to build a sports empire with one thought gives me hope that much can be accomplished with effort and persistence.