The rise of brands

The rise of sports related retail companies has been phenomenal. Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Puma are all known 'brand names' with kids around the world, even in segments of consumers who cannot afford to by these products. How? Due to rampant copying of these brands by homegrown local companies, who will probably change the spelling of a brand, but keep its look and logo to confuse people. Many consumers know the product is a fake, but don't care since it's the closest they might get to having a 'branded' product.