Topic 2: Marketing in the News
I was interested in the Kaepernick Just do it ad because I got to
work up in Portland with some Nike employees, and they we all trying to guess
what the ad would be. One of the things we constantly talk about in the
workplace is how we're going to "innovate and disrupt". I was so used
to seeing innovation in action, I was really craving to see some disruption.
Man, did this ad disrupt.
Colin Kaepernick was a football player for the San Francisco
49ers. He wanted to protest black oppression by kneeling during the "Star
Spangled Banner". Kaepernick used to sit during, but after talking to Nate
Boyer he opted to kneel to try to show respect for current and former military
members. Nike's Just Do It ad started in 1998. It was a simple but aggressive
slogan that has been etched into marketing history. This was the 30th
anniversary for the "Just Do It" slogan, so Nike decided to take a
more inspirational and political approach.
Nike’s value proposition is focused on marketing and their company
image. The company’s slogan is “Just Do It” is marketed to everyone. It doesn’t
matter what kind of person you are, if you’re fit or not, they want you to
“Just Do It”.
The new “Just Do It” ad is very
relevant in today’s culture. This was more than a simple 30th anniversary.
Nike wanted to stand for something bigger than sporting goods. This new ad was
strategic move to inspire and disrupt. One of the challenges I saw with this
campaign was the backlash to Colin saying “sacrificing everything”. Most of my
close friends felt that that statement was a little too far, but I think that
was the point. It got people talking about the ad. I have not seen any other
company stand with a controversial individual like Kaepernick in a long time.
Not only did Nike try to inspire people to be something greater, they stood
with Kaepernick’s cause.
If I was in charge of the campaign
I would have used more controversial individuals. Personally, I think more
controversy would stir the pot in Nike’s favor. I mean the ad was already
successful with the inspirational people already in it. So I might have made
two different ads.
https://news.nike.com/featured_video/just-do-it-dream-crazy-film
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Kaepernick#U.S._national_anthem_protest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Do_It
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