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Nike: The Role Model for Hero Brands
Nike is the name of the Greek goddess of speed, strength, and victory. It is hard to think of a more fitting name for a sportswear brand that has dominated competitors for decades.
In 1964, Nike, Inc. was founded by collegiate track and field coach Bill Bowerman and his former student Phil Knight under the name Blue Ribbon Sports. The company made its debut into the shoe industry in 1972 (with the rare “moon shoes” and the Cortez model), but the company wasn’t formally called Nike until 1978. Two years later, the company went public, and has since gained a foothold as the largest athletic shoe company in the world, adding full lines of performance clothing and gear for both men and women along the way. With strong, motivational branding, Nike has been able to lead competitors like Adidas and Under Armor in the American and global footwear market, becoming the leading name in sportswear.
Much of Nike’s success is due to key partnerships with world-famous athletes and prestigious sports organizations. Nike has endorsement deals with star athletes across generations, sports, and continents. Heroic figures such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Maria Sherapova, and Cristiano Ronaldo are all known for championing the Nike brand. College athletic powerhouses such as Duke, Alabama, and Oklahoma dawn the famous “Swoosh” during all of their games. Nike even replaced Adidas as the official maker of NBA uniforms and apparel in 2017, and renewed their contract with the NFL to remain the official producer of game day uniforms through 2028. It would seem that every athlete breaking records on the field of play does so wearing the Nike logo.
But through their advertising, Nike also tells ordinary people how they can taste some of that heroism. Little League baseball players can feel like their favorite pros by wearing a pair of Nike cleats. The middle-aged man inspired to get in shape can start by ordering a Nike workout shirt. A mom who wants to fit jogging into her busy schedule shops online for a pair of Nike running shoes. This is the power of Nike’s marketing: whatever change people want to make, or whatever challenge they want to overcome, they believe they can do it with Nike.
Let’s look at exactly how this hero brand sells products through empowering messages.
Nike’s iconic “Swoosh” symbol is known around the world. Its recognition is so widespread that the name Nike no longer has to appear with the swoosh for consumers to immediately understand what it means.
The Swoosh is bold and simple. It symbolizes the toughness and discipline that the brand stands for. There is nothing pretty or subtle about it, just as there is nothing pretty or easy about self-improvement. It demands attention and has become synonymous with hard work and determination.
Advertising
Nike likes to use both athletes and the “everyman” in its advertising. It has championed males and females, people with disabilities, and people of all ages and nationalities. It shows these people as heroic athletes because of their determination — no matter their skill level.
The 2013 Nike ad titled “Find Your Greatness” featured a young, overweight boy jogging down a rural road with a narrator communicating a simple message. The voice explains that we have wrongly limited “greatness” to a select few heroes and says, “Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing. We are all capable of it. All of us.” With this ad, Nike made it clear that heroism is attainable to anyone who works for it, and so are Nike products. It inspired non-athletic viewers to lace up their Nike shoes and achieve their own form of greatness.
With their “Dream Crazy” ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, Nike shows that greatness extends outside of athletics and into the realm of social issues. In the ad, Nike highlights athletes who have used sports to break down social barriers and uplift the less fortunate (like a teenage girl playing football or Lebron James opening a school for the disadvantaged). Nike uses the ad to broaden its appeal past athletes and to all of those who advocate for social change. The Swoosh no longer stands only for athletic greatness, but also social justice.
Brand Voice
“Just do it.”
There is no simpler or more empowering slogan in marketing. With three short words, Nike communicates the mindset of a hero. It boils all endeavors into one simple task. It is the straightforwardness of Nike’s slogan that snaps the audience out of their doubts and pushes them into action. The simplicity is especially effective because it allows the audience to fill in for themselves what “it” is. All of their personal goals are possible if they just do it.
Nike carries this simplicity and directness into all of their messaging, ensuring the audience that being a hero is not complicated. Just (buy a pair of Nikes and) do it.
Public Perception
Nike has intentionally shifted its public perception over the decades. While growing into the athleticwear giant they are today, they were known as the creator of sports legends. They represented the absolute peak of physical performance. Today, they have shifted from the creators of sports heroes to the creators of social heroes. They have embraced social and political controversy to claim a kind of moral heroism, sparking both adoration and outrage (after all, a hero always makes some enemies throughout their journey). Now, Nike can be counted on to pursue greatness and justice no matter who stands in their way.
Top 3 Lessons Hero Brands Can Learn from Nike:
- Empowering messages help your customers feel ready to take on the world.
- Simplify your messaging to push customers through their doubts and reservations.
- Employ heroic figures of all kinds to be the faces of your brand.
Could your brand be a “Hero” brand like Nike?
Take Ardent’s Brand Personality Quiz to find out which of the 12 brand archetypes you represent.
