Just Do It
The Nike Spirit in the Corporate World
Failed to add items
Add to cart failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Just Do It
-
Narrated by:
-
Donald Katz
-
Brian Sutherland
-
Written by:
-
Donald Katz
About this listen
The protagonist of Just Do It is Phil Knight, a reclusive billionaire who started a two-man operation importing Japanese running shoes and built it into a $4 billion company. Irreverent, unpredictable, and leery of the sports establishment, Knight created the most muscular jock culture in business, a place where employees routinely took two hours at lunch to work out and then strategized late into the night in their holy war against competitors Reebok and Adidas. To outsiders, Nike was a cult. Insiders believed they were furthering the company's mission: to improve the performance of serious athletes.
Not everyone could be a Nike guy. It required a certain attitude. For example: Michael Jordan refusing to wear Reebok at the 1992 Olympics, or Charles Barkley joking about becoming a porn star. In Just Do It, award-winning author Donald Katz shows how Nike created the spectacular imagery and marketing campaigns that made Jordan, Barkley, and Bo Jackson international icons. He also documented Nike's increasingly influential role in the management of its high-priced talent, taking us inside lucrative endorsement deals involving Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Deion Sanders, Alonzo Mourning, and Pete Sampras as well as behind-closed-doors negotiations with the NBA and the NCAA as it considered a controversial plan for a collegiate Super Bowl brokered by Nike and super-agent Michael Ovitz.
Nike understood the power of imagery and knew how to market those images all over the world. A truly global corporation, Nike relied on capital from Japan to manufacture shoes in Asia sold to one out of every four athletic-shoe buyers in Europe. Katz follows Nike all over the world, taking us from a 19-year-old Korean gluing shoes in a factory, to an advertising wunderkind in Oregon creating the legendary "Bo Knows" campaign, to the fanatical Nike kids who rush into stores the day new shoes hit the street. Along the way, Katz describes the creation and design of Nike shoes, revealing technology worthy of a James Bond movie. He examines the charges leveled against Nike: that the company is exploiting Asian peasants, corrupting younger athletes, and recklessly stirring consumer fever in urban America. He also discusses the corporate spirit and strategies that have made Nike one of the great business stories of the late 20th century.
Just Do It is about the business of sports and the sport of business. It is also the story of a culture in which the sight of an athlete in flight can still evoke awe.
©1994 Donald Katz (P)2017 Audible, Inc.What listeners say about Just Do It
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Manas Ganguly
- 12-03-21
for die-hards of nike, here's a history capsule
captures history of nike and the strenuous struggles of keeping as the the leader, pioneer and trend setter of the industry we'll enough. a little too detailed at several points. I wish Katz would have added more of competitive dimensioning to his narrative. the current one is very staid and doesnot feature interesting moves of reebok, adidas, sketchers, converse, asics and others. that makes this a eulogy to nike, with only a monotone of the landscape. I wish the author had covered more of other shoe brands than the personal lives of nike superstars. on the whole - engage only if keen on Nike as a fan follower.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sanket
- 01-08-20
The engrossing story of making of a brand NIKE
Very well written, presented and narrated.
The sporting spirit of a man and his organisation elevates the small company to a world famous brand
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Seraj
- 27-12-20
good audio book
narrator was pretty good.yes i enjoyed this audio book.it took me some time to finish
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Placeholder
- 22-11-22
excellent read on corp strategy with social face
Donalds coverage of the subject matter is excellent and meaningful, the unfolding of the story and sequencing keep the interest alive. Language is simple and speech flawless. Brian has done full justice to bring the story alive. It could be a good case for management studies in corporate or college.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Santhosh kumar CT
- 28-04-24
marketing the nike way
Extremely impressed by the way Nike started, operated since contribute to operate . The top leadership always put in efforts to differentiate them . And the DNA of an organisation is it's top leadership . They make or break the company :)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- sumit
- 02-10-21
More of a Nike and Knight Propaganda
It looks like a propaganda for Nike and Phil. Subtly, every competitor is demonized. I love Nike, but I don't understand the kind of journalism this book offered.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!