This week, Nike released it’s newest ad campaign featuring some of today’s most controversial and perhaps, hope-inspiring athletes.
The ads stirred up all kinds of feelings in people, from admiration for Nike to people burning their old, stanky shoes. No matter what side people fall on, Nike has certainly hit the big news this week and I’m sure they’re not mad.
Their marketing campaign highlights important lessons for the love-infused business.
- HOPE is KEY – Everyone wants to believe that the impossible can be achieved or that monumental challenges can be overcome. And they can. But much of the world we live in is hell-bent on telling them that’s not true. A love-infused business understands the emotional buy-in we have when we believe there is hope.
- Nike doesn’t make emotional decisions. Neither should you. However, there is definitely something to be said for emotional intelligence and using it to really meet the wants and needs of your customers. Nike doesn’t care about Kaepernick or his protest. Nike cares about profits (at the bottom line). BUT, Nike also cares about its customers (who are the source of profits) and Nike knows that its core base of customers not only agree with Kaepernick’s protest, but are personally affected by the thing he’s protesting. Customers are UP IN THEIR FEELINGS about him, the NFL, the president, etc. And Nike is listening. As they should. Their customers’ feelings MATTER.
- Nike also doesn’t make quick, uninformed decisions. They let their data tell the story and guide their marketing and business strategy. Nike isn’t guessing that their customer base will like this current ad campaign. They KNOW it. Because they have been doing their homework, their market research, they have been planning this campaign for a long time, likely since the protest started. Every detail of how this campaign came out and all the pre-emptory hype around outfits Serena Williams (GOAT, btw) wears, etc. was planned from the beginning and is likely rolling out exactly as they hoped. Maybe even better. I’m here for all of it, btw
- Nike is taking a stance. By creating this campaign and using someone so hated by parts of our population, Nike really is taking a stance on behalf of it’s customers. A love-infused business will not only listen to the hopes, dreams, fears, and expectations of its customers, it will also take a stance for them when it really matters. This is different from choosing to merge your personal beliefs in with your business decisions. It’s not about taking a stance for yourself, but rather using your platform to take a stance for your customers. They don’t really care about your personal feelings (unless yours conflict with theirs), but they care alot about theirs.
It will be interesting to watch how this campaign and the strong message Nike has sent with it will translate over the course of the NFL season (Nike is the official apparel provider) and on into the future. In the first day or two, there was a drop in Nike stock, but I won’t be surprised at all, when they come back and surpass anything they’ve done before with this campaign. This isn’t the last you’ve seen of Colin Kaepernick or Nike and if you want to replicate this in your business, think about who your customers are and what is moving them to passion right now?