Have you seen Nike's latest "Winning isn't for everyone" campaign? You know, the one that dropped sometime before the Olympics and ruffled a few feathers because of the controversial message that athletes are basically single-minded ass*oles... we meant, bad people?

We're talking about this Nike ad, of course:

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Well, it's back now with some new ads focused on running (it's marathon season, baby!), so I thought this might be a good opportunity to give it some space here and discuss it as a lesson in branding.

Especially because it sure as heck delivers at what I like best, which is eliciting an emotional response.

Only this time, the emotions are a little more… complex, I guess?

But hear me out - that's not actually a bad thing for their brand. So stay with me as I explain why.

First of all, you have to understand why Nike actually needed to do something bold and loud - and whatever you think of this campaign, it's definitely both those things.

You see, in recent years Nike kind of missed out on the amateur running boom, while still focusing on elite athletes and pushing out limited editions.

So, what happens when you lose touch with your key audience, the running community?

Well, in Nike's case, it meant their brand equity was affected quite heavily, namely:

• Their stocks price is down 30% (!) year to year
• Their sales are either flat or falling depending on the segment and sales predictions for this year are nowhere close to what actually is happening in the company at the moment.
• Plenty of other brands like Hoka, New Balance, and ASICS were more than happy to take their place - and market share - in the runners' community.
• Nike's CEO stepped down in September and was replaced by a former executive who actually returned to the company after formerly retiring after 32 years. But not before launching the campaign we're discussing now, even if it was a bit too late.

There's more to Nike's issues and it has been covered by marketing legend Mark Ritson in a Marketing Week article which we recommend as your next read.

But back to Nike's campaign.

So yeah, this is why they needed a reset in marketing strategy. And the Olympics were chosen as the perfect opportunity for the new campaign to launch and make some noise.

And hopefully, put Nike back on the map as the default choice when it comes to running. Because, let's face it, the whole point is selling more shoes than the competition, isn't it?

So, what according to most people, was wrong with the campaign when the first "Am I a bad person" ad went live?

Well, nothing in our view. But because of the timing, there is a sort of a long tradition that Olympics-themed ads are usually all about celebrating sportsmanship, competitive spirit, teamwork and positive feelings all around.

Just look at this Coke's ad:

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Well, Nike's ad, my friends, it not like that at all 😄

Now, I've read some comments on YouTube and Reddit that said that this ad sounds like every villain's origin story. Or that it's something Patrick Bateman would say (the "American Psycho" guy). Or that it's the Green Goblin narrating, not Dafoe. Those were just a couple of my favorites 😜

The interesting part here is that the texts used in the campaign, both the video and pretty strong visuals that accompanied it, were actually quotes from some of the best athletes in the world, like Lebron James, Serena Williams, Nicole Graham, or A'ja Wilson.

So those comments either couldn't be more wrong or every athlete is actually a bad person. Just because they want to win and keep their competitors from winning. You decide which version makes more sense.

Truth be told, I think it took some serious b*lls to make an ad that isn't afraid to talk about negative emotions. It is not something most B2B companies would try, for sure 😜 But the ad was seen, it was heard, it had an emotional appeal and it stood out. And that's what Nike needed at this point.

I might be a little biased because my favorite Olympics ad is about pain and physical injuries (and IMHO it's one of the best B2B ads of 2024!):

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The "winning isn't for everyone" message is also pretty consistent with what Nike has been saying in the past.

Did you know that during the 1996 Olympic Games, they had an advertising campaign with statements like "You don't win silver, you lose gold" or "If you're not here to win, you're a tourist"? Well, now you do.

Plus let's not forget what the original Nike was the goddess of - well, it's not playing nice or teamwork, it's winning. So yeah, it's all pretty much on brand.

Paralympic Games version is a prime example of how small tweaks can improve emotional appeal.

The version of the ad called "Winning is winning" that was released for the Paralympic Games had, among others, a toned-down voiceover (from some great athletes competing in the paralympic games) and lenght decreased to a more traditional 30 second format, instead of the whopping 90 seconds of the first ad.

System 1 did their analysis of both ads (you can see the detailed reports here and here) and the results were as follows:

• While the first ad had a much lower overall star rating of 1.4 stars due to triggering a more negative emotional response, it definitely scored high on the spike rating scale, asessing short term sales potential based on branding strenght and intensity of emotional response.
• The ad featuring Paralympic athletes scored a star rating of 3.7 (with 2.4 being the average for Nike on the platform) with an exceptional score in the Emotional Intensity category. However, it scored low to average in terms of strength and speed of brand recognition, as well as sales potential mentioned above.
• So, despite a more favorable emotional appeal, the second ad was definitely less distinctive and not as engaging.

Now, I'll leave the final assesment to you, but my bet? If Nike decided to launch the campaign with the second video ad, I'm sure it would not have gained much recognition, as it doesn't really stand out from what's usually being associated with the Games. So even though it was controversial, it still played a crucial role in putting Nike back on the map. After all, it was one of a few campaigns that were so heavily discussed this year.

Ok, but what about their original issue, losing touch with the running community, losing market share to other competitors and all that? Well, this is where it gets interesting.

In the last week of September, Nike unveiled another chapter of their ad campaign focused solely on running to sync with the upcoming marathon season. And once again, they're showing some harsh realities of running as a sport, summarized with the phrase "Winning isn't comfortable". The ads have some pretty great background music choices, too.

Instead of the winning angle, this time the campaign focuses more on the fact that running means sacrificing your own comfort and features "real people" instead of professional athletes.

For example, the "Sunshine" video ad shows that sometimes you run in pouring rain with your shoes full of mud:

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Another video focuses on the hardships of leaving the house very early for a morning run when you can just be in bed:

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The third video ad ("Joy") focuses on showing the pure exhaustion that often outweighs the joys of winning:
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And, as we saw on LinkedIn (again, thanks to System1), there are also some outdoor ads with pretty much the same message - like the one that has been spotted in Chicago (a couple of weeks before the Chicago Marathon, which is cleverly not mentioned there at all).

This is pretty much what the running part of the campaign is all about. And from what I've seen online (just have a look at the YouTube comments), the reactions are overwhelmingly positive.

Maybe because it’s a more relatable, realistic portrayal of the grueling process behind every victory, however big or small (like getting up or going out in bad weather), while still selling the same key concept and emphasizing that not everyone is capable to achieve this.

Or maybe it just landed with the right audience 🙂

So, I think about the whole thing is that it's all part of a well-thought-out and much-needed rebound strategy for Nike's brand.

What they did with their first ad during the Olympics put them back in the spotlight and had people talking about them again. With the Paralympics ad, they took a bit of the edge off, and managed to flip the reactions to positive emotions, while doing some minor tweaks to the medium, but keeping pretty much the same message.

But with the following ads, they can feature different sports and reach specific groups - like runners - showing that they actually understand them.

That's just good sport marketing, folks.

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