Essay - 'Just Do It' - Slogan or Religion?

‘Just Do It’ – Slogan or Religion?

This essay aims to discuss the accentuation of brand power and how it can, with particular regards to Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ advertising campaign, create mass cultural following. A following that can only appear to offer the same life-changing and self-whole appeal as that of religion, many of which have taken thousands of years to attain.

We have been inundated with idealistic notions for years, the belief that one should adhere themselves to a certain, preconceived way of life can be traced back indefinitely. The Bible speaks of Jesus being “the way and the truth and the life” and states, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John, 14:6. The New Testament). In predominantly uneducated and naïve cultures, this reassuring snippet of words could be seen to have influenced populations and cultures to buy into a way of life, essentially acting a lot like modern day brands. Traditional religion as a concept is a lot less secular in today’s society and one could argue that certain brands and icons have almost become accentuated to this mass level of following and dedication, influencing the way many people live their lives and spend their money.

It’s too easy for the average consumer today to believe they are merely purchasing a product for the physical attributes or values it holds; a pair of Nike running shoes because they are the most expensive - therefore the most beneficial to the runner, or a McDonalds food because it is cheap, convenient and above all tasty. What has become so prominently evident over the years is that these companies alongside many other big names, opposed to just products, are in-fact selling this idealistic way of life that should be aspired to by all, and is very much attainable through simply buying into what they have to offer.

“Disney, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Nike use powerful, all-inclusive emotions to target a worldwide audience. They try to embrace as many people as possible, everywhere.’’ – (Olins, 2003, pg.)

This idea of embracing as many people as possible is one that took brands by storm, a constant strive to seek a firm place in the average household, car and palm of the consumers hand, often without them even realising it. Naomi Klein refers to this as “brand essence” - the true meaning of a brand, again, instead of selling a product for its properties, they in fact had to focus on the psychology of the consumer, building bridges, often reassuring them that their product not only provided service, but almost a choice of lifestyle.

For Nike, this was their Just Do It campaign in a nutshell. Nike have been on the receiving end of a very critical stick for many years, much of it due to their manufacturing ethics. Constantly managing to bypass it as a result of their colossal stature in the commodity marketplace, it was the highly scrutinized ‘Just Do It’ advertising campaign that has elevated Nike to this atmosphere of brand gigantism.

“Brand management is one of Nike’s many strengths. Consumers are willing to pay more for brands that they judge to be superior in quality, style and reliability.” (CFAR, 2000, pg.1)

In the late 70’s, Nike took a risky approach with regards to their marketing techniques and decided to pursue the idea that sportswear could be accepted and treated as a product of fashion and not just a functional product. At this time, Reebok were heavily in control of the fitness market, dominating particularly in aerobics equipment, trainers etc. Nike were loosing out big time in their own eyes, and couldn’t afford to not be dominant supplier of this fitness craze that was storming the population. Reassurance was their main aim, and in order to achieve this Nike

“signed several top National Basketball Association (NBA) players, including Elvin Hayes, Spencer Haywood, and Rudy Tomjanovich. Each Player received $2,000 a year… The cost of convincing such big-names” (Frisch, 2008, pg.23)

These celebrity names were the perfect vehicle for the much needed reassurance from consumer audiences, basketball was big business, especially with the youth of America and if everyone’s favourite players could last a game in the shoes what was stopping them from getting a pair? Celebrity faces weren’t Nike’s only goal however, in using these people they very quickly moved away from advertising the products themselves, but the feelings, ambition and inner drive one should have not only when they exercise, but as a lifestyle attitude, and if they don’t already - they should.

“by owning Nikes you were instantly a member of a desirable group. The campaign was easily identifiable and stayed true to its message” (CFAR, 2000, pg.3)

It’s the idea of entering into a desirable group that for many people Nike was about, one can see this evidenced in the estimation that between 88-98 “80 percent of the sneakers sold in the U.S” weren’t used for sporting activities, instead the fashionable, badge value.

“More than an identifiable logo, branding is considered a promise, an experience and a memory. The message must communicate the ambition of the label and the personal and social benefits of association.” – (Hess and Pasztorek, 2010, pg.7)

In the book No Logo, Naomi Klein talks about the controversy that surrounded Nike’s sweatshop ethics, and how the majority of criticism was coming from a predominantly white, middle class society that although held a share in the market, had nothing on the African American consumer base. Nike were still standing strong. The endorsements held by many African American sport stars naturally led to a massive youth following on the streets and ball courts of America, clearly communicating the ‘ambition of the label’ which once obtained allows one to reap the ‘social benefits of association’.

Klein talks of Nike sending out marketers and designers to arouse hype about fresh-of-the-press trainers to the youth culture, preaching the word of Nike and their latest endeavours. “Kids incorporate the brands into gang-wear uniforms” and without it rapidly loose status quo amongst peers and other youth on the street, often causing teenagers to “sell drugs, steal, mug, even kill for it”. Once Nike has imparted the idea that these are the next best thing, the strive to obtain such a commodity is not lead by advertising schemes alone. Peer to peer marketing soon takes on a lot of the responsibility for the “deep inner need”. Alissa Quart adopts this subject in her book ‘Branded – The buying and selling of teenagers’,

“the hard sell of hip-hop and assorted accessories by way of so-called street teams, or marketing youth gangs, that have advertised certain products since the 1980’s” – (Quart, 2002, p.38)

African American teenagers, the majority from disadvantaged backgrounds were starting to put Nike on such a pedestal that it was acting as a social platform for these youth cultures, one that made $130 trainers a necessity. Marx’s theory of commodity fetishism could be applied here, with the youth substituting stereotypical playground behaviour and relations for a pair of trainers, which then start to take on and mediate each others ideas of what is considered ‘cool’.

While the ‘Just Do It’ campaign was taking the urbanised youth of the ghettos by storm, and still on the back foot of middle class criticism, Nike had managed to take a rather niche sports clothing company and transform it into a modern day phenomenon, with a fellowship exceeding those of small religions. The vast majority of Nike owners didn’t in fact use them for sport as touched on earlier, but as a show to the world that they embraced this contemporary fitness culture, and did it in pain free style. The CFAR mini case study also explains how Nike were able to “turn sweaty, pain-ridden, time-consuming exercise in Nike sneakers into something sexy and exciting.”  - (CFAR, 2000, pg.2)

Rory Sutherland, speaking at TED tell the story of Frederick the Great of Prussia, who was keen to get Germans eating potatoes for a number of reasons. What was interesting about this was the way in which he approached getting the population to approve them after an initial rebellion due to their disgusting looks and bland taste. Frederick the Great ‘tried plan B, he tried the marketing approach’ and made it known that the potato was now a royal vegetable and for royal consumption only. This newly found aura around the vegetable instantly sparked arousal amongst peasants and “before long there was a massive underground potato growing operation in Germany, effectively re-branding the potato.”

Nike very much resonates this approach within their marketing campaigns, using celebrities, referred to as royalty in Sutherlands story, to endorse the product/lifestyle which in turn attracts a massive following, a sure fire route to success.

These celebrity endorsements, from sport icons to hip-hop artists led Nike followers to strive to be like them and nothing else, and through buying into the products (that soon stopped being physically advertised due to such familiarity) gave the impression it was achievable. Klein speculates that

“One of the main reasons black urban youth can get out of the ghetto only by rapping or shooting hoops is that Nike and the other multinationals are reinforcing stereotypical images of black youth and simultaneously taking the jobs away.” - (Klein, 2000, p.484)

It is through this mass, dedicated following that Nike has managed to position itself in such a highly influential place within many cultures and social backgrounds. A level of following that one can almost only compare to that of religion. Religion is generally known to anthropomorphize a ‘god’, have a set of beliefs that are strongly pushed forward, through a number of iconic characters to preach these words. Nike can be seen to exercise all these factors, the ‘god’ however, they very cleverly place in the consumer

Nike as a brand and most specifically their ‘Just Do It’ campaign very cleverly place in the consumer as the god in ones’ self, worship yourself through this brand, with us you can be the new god of your own life. Iconised characters, bodied predominantly as sport stars and hip hop artists are the prophets spreading the word of Nike, with people looking up to them participating in sports they love, wearing readily available trainers priced at a ‘mere’ $130.

Bibliography

Quart, A., 2002. Branded. London: Arrow.

Hess, J., and Pasztorek, S., 2010.  Graphic design for Fashion. London: Laurence King.

Klein, N., 2000. No Logo. London: Flamingo.

Olins, W., 2003. On Brand. London: Thames and Hudson.

CFAR Centre for Applied Research, 2000. Nike’s “Just Do It” Advertising Campaign [pdf] Availiable at: <www.cfar.com/Documents/nikecmp.pdf> [Accessed 03 December 2011].

Frisch, A., 2008. The Story of Nike. Mankato, MN: The Creative Company.

MiccoChannel, 2010. Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man – part 1. [video online] Available at: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDeHP9iXig0> [Accessed 03 December 2011].

Alarcón, M.C., and Derkach, E., 2011. Branding Project on Nike [pdf] Available at: <http://issuu.com/mariacami08/docs/nike_branding_project> [Accessed 22 January 2012].