Who is Nike?
In the human form, Nike is an American guy passionate with the design, production, and global trading of footwear, clothing, appliances, and accessories. His principal focus is mainly on athletic use, providing sports models with unique merchandise, and aiding them in greater efficiency. Consequently, growing popularity led Nike to offer leisurewear as a regular product. Throughout the years of operation on the market, product innovation and quality remained its main priorities. The legendary swoosh logo and “Just Do It” slogan distinguish Nike from a pool of well-established brands. Collaboration with athlete icons is another marketing tool he uses in order to influence potential consumers by controlling the level of demand for its products. For instance, Nike’s cooperation with Michael Jordan is concentrated mainly on basketball apparel, athletic and casual footwear, and equipment.
The Mission Statement
The mission statement, “Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world,” constitutes Nike’s place in the world as the source of inspiration and incentive of innovation, defining the fundamental values of his personality. He aspires people to think like a winner every day. According to Riegel (2015, p. 2), Nike’s presentation of a swoosh is “the symbol of athletism, power, fitness,” which anyone can accomplish. The legendary slogan, “Just Do It,” represents the motivational goal to make people pursue their dreams. For instance, Goldman and Papson (1998, p. 19) claim that Nike has been able to “attach the aura of a philosophy” through the outstanding sayings. Therefore, continuous efforts to increase the quality of life using uniquely phrased words make Nike one of the most distinctive people on the planet.
The Hero Story
There is another empowerment tool Nike uses by telling the stories of remarkable people across the world. Michael Jordan’s breathtaking journey is an ample case that anyone can write a story akin to “heroic transcendental sporting and commercial odyssey” (Andrews, 2001, p. 13). What is more, the secret of being successful in life lies in attitude or the way of thinking, while challenges and disappointments are omnipresent. As a result, Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” urges that it is vital to continue the journey in the moment of difficulty. Jordan undertook dual roles as a basketball player, evolving into a sports celebrity and Nike’s faithful companion for many years (Andrews and Jackson, 2001, p. 20). Hence, the brand implies that facing obstacles with an open and positive mind will only contribute to a prosperous future.
Sustainable Nike
Nike possesses an exclusive combination of strengths and abilities by making rapid sustainability developments, which significantly contributes to its financial performance. As environmental challenges influence business choices, it is clear that decisions have to be made with a more sustainable approach. Nike intends to increase competition in a sustainability-based economic environment to motivate for changes of widely-accepted guidelines. In fact, Nike launched a “training program centered on product sustainability and initiated sustainability metrics” (Henderson et al., 2009, p. 4). Moreover, potentially hazardous actions, causing damage to the environment, are under control. This could be for the reason that he believes in small changes creating massive global impacts. Modernization has always been the number one priority, where the strategy involves persistent innovation. Therefore, Nike’s view on environmental constraints comprises the inventive and creative course.
The Tone of Voice
The tone of voice refers to the values and personality of the brand, which is essential for people to connect with the brand’s language. The term has come to be used commercially to refer to the brand’s language registers to express a unique personality with a set of values, distinguishing the brand from those of rivals. The company is concerned with the relationship and communication between themm and the customer. His deep voice, casual clothing style, and easy gait makes people believe that Nike is just like everyone else. According to Delin (2005, p. 7), consumers tend to recognize brands “not as static objects, but as sets of qualities that a provider seeks to project.” Thus, the tone of voice plays a crucial role in the consumer’s perception of brands.
The Gender and Social Equality
Gender is a frequent device used for the segmentation of a significant proportion of products and services. The division seems to have a trend with respect to specific personality traits and character features. Being more masculine and carelessly young, Nike is inclined to “rely on various heuristics in place of detailed message elaboration” (Putrevu, 2004, p. 53). Moreover, considering sport as a way to achieve equality in a society, the “Just Do It” catchphrase introduces a self-encouragement philosophy beyond sports boundaries. The famous athlete models motivate people to improve their living conditions and battle with societal differences. Nike is also known for his transparent and honest nature, meaning that he may “release the name and addresses” of the producer and “social audit reports of their sites” (McCarthy, Kirk and Grosser, 2012, p. 14). Therefore, spreading gender and social equality via an effective connection acts as a distinctive means of communication with customers.
Emotional Branding
Nike’s personality comprises the emotionally narrative technique, more specifically, the story of the hero. Nike, being energetic and serious, not only tries to strive for his goals but also aspire other people to take actions. Kim and Sullivan (2019, p. 2) determine emotional branding as a device “appealing to their feelings with the aim of increasing consumer loyalty toward the brand.” Furthermore, an extraordinary power to influence people’s mindset and perception of life help Nike increase the effect, according to Stoeva (2017, p. 22) “based on consumer feelings and behavioural knowledge.” Michael Jordan is an example of a hero motivating people to push their limits and always strive for the best. Heroism begins with humble origins, overcoming all the odds on the pathway. Thus, Nike uses the emotional side of consumers by telling the stories of real-life heroes, building a strong connection with them.
To conclude
It can be concluded that the brand’s primary emphasis is on athletic use, providing athletes with exclusive apparel, and contributing to greater performance. The mission statement represents its significance as the source of aspiration and stimulant of innovation. Nike manages to use another encouraging tool by narrating the stories of phenomenal people across the globe. Additionally, Nike has a unique mixture of potential and capabilities by developing brand-new sustainability advancements. Its advertisements touch the communicational side of the customer, thus, building a strong connection with consumers in the long-run. Acting as a method of achieving and spreading social and gender equality in society, sport introduces a self-empowerment ideology. This emotional branding strategy, used by Nike, is an essential device for the growth of customer loyalty for years of the brand’s existence.
Reference List
Andrews, D. (2001) Michael Jordan, Inc.: corporate sport, media culture, and late modern America. Albany: State of University New York Press.
Andrews, D. and Jackson S. (2001) Sport stars: the cultural politics of sporting celebrity. London: Routledge.
Delin, J. (2005) ‘Brand tone of voice: a linguistic analysis of brand positions’, Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2(1), pp. 1–44. Web.
Goldman, R. and Papson, S. (1998) Nike culture: the sign of the swoosh core cultural icons. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Henderson, R. et al. (2009) Nike considered: getting traction on sustainability. Cambridge: MIT Case.
Kim, Y. and Sullivan P. (2019) ‘Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands’, Fashion and Textiles, 6(2), pp. 1-16. Web.
McCarthy, L., Kirk L. and Grosser K. (2012) Gender equality: it’s your business. Oxford: Oxfam International.
Putrevu, S. (2004) ‘Communicating with the sexes: male and female responses to print advertisements’, Journal of Advertising, 33(3), pp. 51-62. Web.
Riegel, V. (2015) “Nike’, in Cook, D. T. and Ryan, J. M. (eds.) The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of consumption and consumer studies. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Stoeva, M. (2017) Emotional branding online. Case study: Nike. Bachelor’s thesis. Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.