SHOE DOG – Phil KNIGHT
Shoe Dog is an autobiography published in 2016, of Phil Knight the founder of one of the biggest
American firm, Nike.
In this book, Phil Knight tells us step by step, the creation of Nike until its initial public offering.
This book is the summary of an incredible adventure composed of victory, deception, friendship and
also love. We discover thought many anecdotes and memories all the hidden parts of his fight to create
his shoe company and built his dream.
The story starts with the sharing of Knight’s dreams, different of the men of his age. He wants to
discover the world and creates his own company. In 1963 he’s gone discover the world and did a stop
in Japan where the business of shoes is flourishing.
He meets a largest shoes company named Onitsuka. He proposes them to develop their products in
United States with his brand Blue Ribbon. He surround himself with different professional people as
Bowerman a coach well known in the country, Johnson, a great seller who developed the company on
the east side or Wooden an ancient room class of him, a finance specialist. Time after time, they
increase together the sales even if they are confront to the competition of big brands as Adidas or
Puma and also the financials barriers of the bank.
On another way, Onitsuka hires others Americans distributors and making the job more difficult for
them. During 7 years, Phil Knight has fought to do the best and developed his company. He created
shop, invested in communication and worked hard all nights and days.
In parallel, he lived a love story with Penny with whom he had two children.
Through this book, he describes this turbulent period of he’s life stressed by his work but also motived
to be the best. In 1970, after a conclusive meeting with the manager of Onitsuka who didn’t want to
continue to work with Blue Ribbon, Phil decided to create Nike.
This new company developed at the beginning news shoes and grows up quickly until to become one
of the most known brand in the world.
The author
Phil Knight was born in 1938, in Portland in Unites States.
Really interested in sport, he did business studies but he
dedicated the most of his time at running in his school
stadium to improve his performances.
Self-contained and ambitious, he decided at the age of 26
years old to do alone a world tour and join later a Japanese
shoes company. During 7 years he sold their shoes all around
the Unites States with his team until developpe his own
company Nike with his own shoes.
Today Nike is known as one of the best-selling brand in the
world.
It was an evidence for the author to describe the evolution of
his brand and his beginning as a little young entrepreneur.
More than a story, this book is for him a confidence and a
testimony from his eyes of his experience.
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It’s important to insist on one point : Phil Knight is an ambitious and motivate person who never gives
up. This book permits me to discover an incredible personality and a positive spirit very quiet. Through
his first book, Knight gives real lesson of life witch permit to consider him as a real example of success.
Information on the book
This book is a typical autobiography. The book counts us the story of a person’s life written by that
person. Here it is Phil Knight. We recognize it as an autobiography with the important events of Knight’s
life organized in a chorological order.
Often, autobiographies are written by people who achieved some level of fame like him. In fact, all the
autobiographies need to be rich in experiences, in anecdotes and pass some messages from the
author.
In his autobiography Phil knight decides to counts us a specific period between 1962 and 1980. This
real story permits to discover a real history context thought various events. For example, we learn
more about the different Olympics Games in Mexico, Montreal or Munich.
Even if it’s not really mentioned in the book, the period crossed a little part of the anti-racist fight in
the USA. Phil Knight talks about Tommie Smith and John Carlos cases : On the podium, after won gold
and bronze medals respectively in the 200 meters running event of the 1968 summer Olympic, they
turned to face the US flag and then kept their hands raised until the anthem had finished.
But we also assist in this book at the termination of the convertibility of dollars to gold witch affect the
company of Phil Knight in 1971.
Shoe dog : a real success
After crossed different websites (before to bought the book and after read it) I note that the largest
part of the readers seems to have positive opinions on the book.
Steve Jobs has read it and says “It’s an amazing tale, one of his favorite books of 2016”. On another
side the book received really good opinions from famous newspapers as New York time and other
author like the Nobel price Mikael Spence.
In reason of this success, Netflix provides to create a movie based on this story.
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The choice of the book
At the announce of the subject in class I decided to focus my choice on an autobiography or a real story
related to history.
After several searches I found this book. I thought that will be an interest story which got closer from
my studies in marketing and communication. I knew the success of Nike and imagined that’s reading
could help me to learn more about this brand. Furthermore, I through that this book could be an added
value in my personal culture.
My feedback
This book was for me really inspirational and I think that it's a great book for people that would want
to do business in the future, or if they just need some inspiration. People's accomplishments always
amazes us and we praise and remember people for their achievements but we never look on the other
side. The side of failure. Mistakes. Grit. And most importantly, hope. It’s for me a big lesson of life. I
was impressed to see how a book can play with my emotion and my determination.
Phil Knight speaks to me though his motivation. I see him as a hard worker who never give up. He show
me that when we believe in our dream, our passion we can accomplished what we want even if some
constraints are always present.
At this time is the best memoir I’ve ever read by a business person. I finished the last sentence in
complete awe, inspired and grateful for the experience.
The first part of the book really fascinated me because Phil Knight speaks about his world tour with
many details. He describes all his steps of his adventure. I really love travel and I discovered another
time some destination and such beautiful places which I visited.
In addition, this book permit me to discover more elements on the long way of the company creation.
I always wanted to create my own company but with this kind of reading I understand the constraint
of this status.
If I can relate somethings that I hate, it will be the facts that Phil Knight devotes only 40 pages on the
success of Nike. I was disappointed because in my opinion it miss details about the evolution of Nike
since 1982. We don’t really see the change in his life too.
For my first reading in English I was surprised to see how I understand really easily the story. Of course,
some passages were more difficult than others (in particularly on specific topics as the financial one)
but that didn’t stop me to understand the global sense of the story. To be honest I think that’s reading
experience will help my self-confidence about my ability to read in English.
Communication model reference
I choose to develop Laswell’s communication model. I think that’s model was particularly adapt to the
part identify in my book. I decide to analyze the first advertising that Phil Knight create for the Japan
shoes that he sells. In my opinion these few lines are extremely important because it represent the
desire of Phil Knight to communicate on his brand. Moreover, I was really impressed to discover the
developing of mass media advertising.
We are in 1964, Phil Knight sells the Japan shoes in his house while waiting to have enough money to
buy a real office in the town.
To attract more consumers he decides to put some posters in the town. He creates the slogan himself
and print it in a print shop. He diffuses it in different areas of Portland.
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To describe it as the model of Laswell we can dissect this add with all the 5 W. This system permits to
understand how the communicator tents to influence the receiver.
Pourquoi
It’s il est efficace
the company ? which decides to create this advertising. In this case the communicator
Blue Ribbon
is the source of the message. Here it’s Knight who takes the initiative to create an advertising for his
company.
We can read on it “ Best news in flats ! Japan challenges European track shoe domination”, written
in Capital letter. Below it, it was possible to read “Low Japanese labor costs make it possible for an
exciting new firm to offer these shoes at the low low price of $6.95.”
Along the bottom
It’s interesing to isanalyze
the address of PhilitKnight
it because and his
represent thephone number.
beginning of the advertising. He note that
With these words he wanted to catch their attention on the low cost of the shoes and the novelty.
the power of advertising were powerful at this time even if the channels are now more
developed and adapted.
As says previously, Phil Knight communicates on Posters put in all the principals areas of Portland.
Even if advertising in television are really successful at this time, advertising poster stay an essential
media.
The first target of this ad are runners and athletes. But Phil Knight specify that other target are aim
as the people who wear sneakers just for pleasure.
The feedback were positive because Phil Knight increased quickly the sales of the shoes. Many
people rush in his house to buy them.
Levels of communication
At the beginning of the book, when Phil Knight hire his first employ he proposes him to work on the
East side of USA (far away of Portland). They communicate about the company through letters. A
typical situation of questions and answer only between them. This is a classic Interpersonal level of
communication where two people speak.
In a little part of the book Phil Knight go in Japan to propose his ideas to Onitsuka, the Japan factory of
shoes. Sometimes it is made to present his project in front of the principal managers of the firm and
the director two. According to his words it’s approximately 10 people who listen to him. The
communication level correspond to the small group one where one person speaks to a small audience.
