Any marketing communication plan is an opportunity to communicate all possible marketing messages with the help of which customers can be targeted, and professional goals can be achieved. It is not enough to choose one marketing strategy and follow it precisely. It is necessary to investigate all important components of a promotional mix and clarify if a chosen company is ready to meet all requirements and expectations. In this report, a marketing communication plan for Nike and its latest campaign “Equality” will be developed regarding the main aspects of integrated marketing communications (IMC) like a targeted audience, communication objectives, media, and a creative layout. The peculiarity of this campaign is that Nike uses sport as a chance for all people to forget about existing inequalities, challenges, and doubts and realise that boundaries are created by people and used to hurt the feelings of people. Inequality should have no boundaries, and this integrated marketing communications plan helps to comprehend Nike better.
Nike Equality Campaign: Target Audience
A targeted audience is one of the most effective tools used in the campaign under analysis. Its effectiveness lies in the possibility to touch upon each consumer and explain that no boundaries should be created in society to make it perfect. In fact, Nike sends a serious message to all people in order to explain that they are able to take respect, justice, and fairness and use it anywhere outside the field of sports (Monllos). On the one hand, the audience of this ad can be defined by the presence of a basketball star, LeBron James, a famous tennis player, Serena Williams, and a professional soccer player, Megan Rapinoe (O’Brien). People who know these sports celebrities can understand the power of this advertising and accept each word spoken as a new motto that has to be followed. On the other hand, people who are far from professional sport and cannot recognise any of the people in the ad are welcome to enjoy sincere words and strong statements. Therefore, the audience of this particular campaign introduced by Nike cannot be measured the same way social equality is.
In this campaign, there are many men and women so that it is hard to underline the importance of one particular genre. Still, the age may be an integral aspect because there are no young children or older adults. This choice may be explained by the necessity to focus on young adults and make them believe in the power of equality and justice regardless of their race, cultural background, and the colour of skin.
Nike Equality Campaign: Communication Objectives
There are many intended goals in a modern campaign, including the necessity to create awareness, shape attitudes, stimulate people, and introduce an image that can be used in everyday life. Nike’s campaign pursues several rather strong purposes. First, a clear need to shape attitudes is defined. In this campaign, the authors want to underline that justice may have different forms, and people are welcome to develop their opinions in the most suitable for them ways. Second, in this ad, it is possible to observe several intentions to educate people and stimulate them to appreciate equality and empowerment of all people. It does not matter if people are in courts or listen to a speech on the street. Justice should be everywhere, and people are responsible for its promotion and usage. Finally, an image of an equal life where all people can use their opportunities is established. People are free to choose. Still, they cannot choose the world that is spoiled by inequalities and pride.
A successful accomplishment of these goals is a core of the campaign that is not used to teach but to discover personal beliefs and truths and introduce a future where equality is everywhere.
Nike Equality Ad Analysis: Social Media
Nike uses different sources of media to introduce its campaign. In this case, a video that is available on YouTube and different online magazines the authors of which discuss the benefits of the campaign and analyse its possible cons. It is also possible to find this ad online using any available searching engine or visiting an official site of a company. Regarding the form of an ad, it is possible to share it on different social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. Finally, to strengthen the effects expected from the campaign, its developers should pay more attention to printed information and its availability to all people, especially those, who do not find it necessary to use social media all the time.
Nike is the company used by millions of people around the whole world. There are many supporters and opponents of this organisation. Still, the chosen approach and the intentions to promote equality among all is a unique feature used by Nike in the most appropriate time when many people find themselves in need to make a decision and understand if they want to be united or divided.
Nike Equality Campaign: Creative Guidelines
The creativity of the chosen campaign is unique due to its simplicity and a complexity of messages. On the one hand, there is a black-and-white video with a number of people demonstrating their skills and sharing an idea of equality that should unite all of them regardless of their goals. A final idea is supported by several strong sentences with full-stops at the end of each. On the other hand, there is a complex line of the events and a number of people who want to create a line not in order to divide people but to unite them. In fact, it is interesting and challenging to analyse the chosen ad offered by Nike.
A combination of background music and songs, the presence of a background voice and direct words of the actors used, and a rapid exchange of a background are the techniques that attract the viewers’ attention and offer a lesson that cannot be forgotten. People are different in their tastes, skills, opinions, and demands. However, such differences should not make them competitive or unequal. Such differences turn out to be a unique chance to share knowledge and experiences and enrich this world from different perspectives.
Nike Equality Ad Analysis Conclusion
In general, the analysis of the Nike’s campaign shows that equality is a powerful concept to be promoted in the field of sports. An integrated marketing communication plan that is based on the evaluation of a targeted audience, media, creative guidelines, and properly developed communication objectives helps to clarify that several simple marketing decisions can be turned into one impressive campaign. Nike is a generator of interesting ideas. The company proves that it is enough to use one word and make people believe in its power and worth. The results of this campaign may be different for people: some observers enjoy the show and believe that it is high time to take a new step and try to change this world, and some people find nothing stimulating in this ad, but another project that aims at making people buy a new product of a company.
Works Cited
Monllos, Kristina. “Nike Just Released a Gorgeous, Powerful Campaign Dedicated to Equality: Work from W+K Debuts ahead of the Grammys.” AdWeek. 2017, Web.
O’Brien, Kyle. “Nike’s Equality Campaign Takes a Stance on Diversity and Opportunity.” Business Insider. 2017, Web.