Introduction
Advertising is a crucial concept in the success of the company, its perception by the audience, and the social impact that it might have. Numerous businesses launch unique, controversial, influential, and robust campaigns that can stay in the memories of individuals for a prolonged period. Nike is a company that has produced compelling advertisements that not only reflect the company’s products and the value they propose to the customers but also raise essential social issues. The fact that Nike takes a stand on social problems in its advertisements, like in the “Just Do It” campaign existing for more than three decades, leads to a rise in sales (Green and Turner). This paper aims to analyze the recent Nike advertising campaign and assess its effectiveness and the message that is sent to society.
Main body
Nike is one of the leading companies in sportswear and sports shoes, and almost everyone has heard about the organization’s products at least once. Numerous advertisements and marketing efforts of the business have contributed to significant success and high sales. “Dream Crazy” campaign, a set of commercials within the famous “Just Do It” advertising, became a sensation in 2018. The original video featured Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback involved in demonstrations to protest police brutality and racial injustice (Green and Turner). The commercial encourages every human to reach their dreams, stating that “it’s only crazy until you do it” (Hoops Daily). This campaign caused an extremely controversial reaction from the publicity. One can notice that besides the implication that everything is possible with Nike sportswear, the company aims to raise awareness about contemporary social issues.
It is critical to understand the power that an advertising campaign can possess and how it can reflect the problems, concerns, preferences, or aspirations of individuals. According to Fowles, advertisements can appeal to particular human needs, including the need for guidance, the need to dominate, and to feel safe (276). One can state that “Dream Crazy” inside of the “Just Do It” campaign highly represents those mentioned needs. The company shows people that they can achieve everything and that nothing is unmanageable through a powerful message about the most famous athletes and the thought that everything is possible. The commercial appeals to inner motivations and desires that individuals have and endeavor to reach and utilize. For instance, the need for achievement “is the drive that energizes people, causing them to strive in their lives and careers” (Fowles 282). Consequently, portraying those who have achieved great heights and telling the audience that they can do it as well can become a practical measure of the campaign’s success.
Nike’s “Dream Crazy” campaign includes numerous videos and posters distributed around the globe. One of the printed ads shows Kaepernick’s face with a slogan “believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything.” (Draper and Creswell). Curiously, the interest that these advertisements caused among the publicity is explained not only by increased sales and attention to the products but also by the call to the social issue of racial inequality. One can say that making people contemplate the problem and intrinsically reminding them about morality and principles through personal encouragement can serve as powerful instruments. At this point, it is critical to look at the need to feel safe, which suggests that inherently people want well-being to themselves and their families (Fowles 285). Hence, Nike’s advertising shows that there are people who stand up for the rights of those who are discriminated against in a hidden message. The appeal to emotional state, desires and unconscious fears makes the company’s commercials so influential.
The emotional call that Nike advertisements have over the previous decades has a close connection to the Black Lives Matter movement. Through its commercials and official statements, the company is raising awareness about the social disparity. For instance, Nike released a statement on commitment to the black community, which implicates the organization’s intention to make a change (Nike). It is possible to state that the combination of marketing campaigns utilized by the business and internal politics and beliefs, create a robust and powerful message. Touching individuals’ emotions and reaching them on a deeper level is one of the most effective strategies of a successful advertisement. Besides, the company is raising critical questions that are in the minds of society, which leads to additional attention. Thus, Nike has a psychological influence on potential customers, generating thoughts, possible decisions, and, consequently, behavioral patterns.
Conclusion
One can say that Nike’s advertisement serves as an encouragement to act and make a change in personal life, career, and community. Reaching individuals in terms of the analyzed needs to achieve, dominate, and feel safe represents the primary elements of the company’s commercials. It is crucial to mention that the company is doing an outstanding job of attracting new customers and increasing sales. Although some of its marketing campaigns face a particular level of discontent, its effectiveness is still evident through the company’s continuous success and strive to bring value to society. In conclusion, designing a powerful message through a video, article, application promotions, or posters can be challenging, and every company needs to pay a lot of attention to this area. Nike represents a brand that spread its thought to numerous layers of the population, touching conscious and unconscious needs.
References
Draper, Kevin, and Julie Creswell. “Colin Kaepernick ‘Dream Crazy’ Ad Wins Nike an Emmy.” The New York Times, Web.
Green, Dymond, and Ashley Turner. “Some People May Hate Nike’s Risky Marketing Campaigns – But the Brand Keep Adding Billions to Its Bottom Line.” CNBC, Web.
“Colin Kaepernick Just Do It Nike Commercial 2018 Feat LeBron James & Other Athletes.” YouTube, uploaded by Hoops Daily, 2018, Web.
Fowles, Jib. “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics, vol. 39, no. 3, 1982, pp. 273-290.
Nike. Nike, Inc. Statement on Commitment to the Black Community. 2020, Web.