Just Do It

Click on the link to direct you to Nike's website

Nike is one of the most profitable and well known companies around the world. Look into your closet or around your house and count how many items have the Nike logo on it. I’m going to guess that you have at least one Nike item.

Nike became HUGE with its “Just Do It” campaign that started in the 1980′s. During this time working out became the “hip” thing to do. Reebok was already establishing itself by running aerobic ads. Nike went in a different direction than Reebok by making their ads “cooler” and humorous. For example they used Bo Jackson, who was the Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan, in many ads.

Nike ads are everywhere. Sports stadiums, billboards, commercials, internet pop ups and posters are some of the platforms where you can see these ads. There isn’t a certain time when you can see one of these ads because they are practically in every location and on most TV channels. If you watch a few minutes of a football game on Sunday, you’ll most likely see a Nike commercial. An ad which features Adrian Peterson, the NFL’s best running back, has been replaying for weeks.

According to this site, Nike’s mission statement is “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are and athlete“. Nike designs their ads to pertain to athletes but also to the average person who just wants shoes. For example, Nike Y2K Jogger shows an average man jogging the day after Y2K. I think this commercial is great because at the end he says hello to the fellow jogger even though disaster has struck. Oh and this commercial won an Emmy.

The famous person testimonial strategy is used in many Nike ads. These commercials and posters tend to be humorous. Michael Jordan has been featured in tons of commercials and posters. In this commercial, Spike Lee asks MJ why he is so great by saying that his hair, clothes and finally his shoes make him the best in the universe. Lee repeats the question about the shoes seven times and says “It’s got to be the shoes!”. MJ denies the questions. At the end of the ad this pops up, “Michael Jordan’s opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Nike, Inc. These commercials featuring Spike Lee and MJ became very popular in the early 90′s and people started to buy Michael Jordan’s shoes.

Today, Nike has put out three very controversial print ads towards women. I think these ads are great because instead of the 90′s ads that had women/girls saying “If you let me play“, these ads are showing women who are doing. They show women who have done something and are proud of their bodies. Body image for women is an extremely hot topic and I believe these ads are a step in the right direction in possibly changing the way women (especially those who are athletes) view themselves.

I believe that Nike has done a great job with its “Just do it” campaign along with its commercials featuring famous athletes. These ads challenge the viewer as well as entertain them. They contain flashy colors, popular and catchy songs, clever slogans and of course the shoes or clothing. I believe this commercial is Nike’s best.

Nike has a main theme in most of there commercials: motivation. They motivate you to go out and be proactive, but also to buy Nike’s shoes. They tend to show an athlete doing something and wearing Nike shoes and clothes.

Here are some commercials I found that I think are entertaining and extremely clever.

Now ask yourself one thing…

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