ike (the market leader), Reebok (currently in the second position) and Converse (now in the fourth position and a company which focuses on athletic consumers nearly exclusively). All three of the leading competitors, including LA Gear, use professional athletes to promote their shoes; this is an expensive marketing technique, but it associates the product with the professional sports figure and thus gives the shoe additional validity in the market. Nike is extremely well-positioned in the market, and has the enviable slogan, "Just Do It," which is easily identified with the company's shoes. Nike's logo is also easily recognized on the various products which it sells (including clothing items outside the realm of footwear).
It is unlikely that a new competitor will emerge in the market because of the domination by the top three firms and the difficulty in having a marketing program which can adequately support a new competitor. Consumers have strong brand identification with
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