More Than Just a Brand
This documentary was centered around a group of scientists and three of the most elite runners in the world. Nike who was sponsoring this documentary was attempting to have all three of these runners run a marathon under two hours. This is by no means an easy goal. They would have to shave a couple minutes off the world record. One of the factors that Nike branded was the shoes. They came up with a new shoe that was supposedly supposed to give back 4% of energy or "energy return."
Nike probably spent millions of dollars branding this product and spent months and months hyping up what was supposed to be the one of the greatest human achievements. However, the runners fell short and didn't break the 2 hour barrier. But that's not the point. The point is from watching this video I created a special connection with Nike products. Through the documentary, by getting to know the runners and their lives I felt connected to them and that therefore transitioned into my feelings connected to Nike's shoes. Now when I see ads for Nike Running I will immediately click on them. Even though this documentary wasn't officially an ad, you could chose to see it as a big marketing video. I'm sure Nike sales went up after this video because people like me felt connected to the shoes.
From experiencing this, whenever I hear running shoes I associate the Nike brand. Whenever I hear cross country or track I associate Nike. Nike has found a way to be in my heart and I will always think of it whenever I run. Nike surrounds me in all of the videos I watch and in all of the Instagram ads that pop up in my feed.
Nike has taken a shoe, literally an inanimate object and built an entire story around it. This has inspired many people. Their whole branding idea is to make their product more than just shoes and apparel. And that is exactly was they have done. They have made their products into so much more.
For me, it's more than just a brand. When I hear Nike I hear the hardwork of professional athletes like Galen Rupp, Eliud Kipchoge, and Mo Farah. When I hear Nike I think of the days I've spent running 13 miles in hot weather on Sunday mornings. Nike through its advertisements and media has influenced me and many people around the world beyond measure.
I definitely agree with many of the points you are presenting in this post. I don’t see Nike as a brand marketing specifically centered around the products themselves, such as the low costs or comfort of their products, but the inspirational athletes that use them. For me, I use Nike products because my running idols use these products, not necessarily because they’re the most comfortable or the lowest cost. Nike’s strategy has allowed me and so many others to be convinced that their products must be amazing because some of the best athletes in the world are using these products. Nike uses an extremely effective approach in advertising their products, as they appeal to an audience buy “advertising” the world class athletes, such as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, LeBron James, and the goat, Eliud Kipchoge. One question I am wondering is why do you think Nike has grown to be so successful before any of these athletes even existed and started playing their sports? What started the growth of Nike? It’s so interesting that other running brands, such as Saucony and Reebok, that have comparative running shoes and sports products (based on personal experience) but are way less successful than Nike.
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