The Secret Behind Digital Marketing Strategies Used by Nike (With Samples)
The worldwide recognition of this brand is the result of brilliant work in its digital marketing. Not only controversial, the ad campaigns Nike have launched successfully build customer loyalty and attract future users.
According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), digital marketing is the planning and execution of promotion and ideas distribution. The activity, furthermore, must meet the objectives of the individuals and organizations.
According to this definition, digital marketing is then understood as an important activity for companies in general. Its core is the market, consisting of consumers, intermediaries and competitors, public that must be taken into account at the moment to create and implement the strategies.
Today, companies regardless of their size, are in a global world that is not stable. Digital marketing moves so fast that it is necessary for them to implement something creative all the time
In case of Nike, they have done a pretty good job. In fact, Nike is a multinational American company dedicated to manufacture footwear, clothing, accessories and other sporting goods. Each digital marketing strategy they present has brought million dollars of profits.
The Secret Behind Nike Ad Campaign
In digital marketing, when we talk about monsters, we refer to very large companies whose success is immense and every action within their online strategy implies multimillion-dollar profits. Nike is one of the main representatives of this category and a king in Marketing.
One of the reasons behind the success of Nike are its unconventional approaches and the adoption of digital strategies that give a turn to the way digital marketing is done to the point that they have become the goal to target with our strategy of marketing.
#1 Focus on Telling A Story, Instead of A Brand
The first strategy is to “ focus on telling a story, instead of a brand”. This refers to the fact that although previously the organization was dedicated to talking about and promoting the characteristics and benefits of its products, it was later Account that the true value lies in the history behind what they sell.
Gone is the era in which the marketing strategy was linked to give characteristics of our products only, brands have to sell a story and people will be hooked in the long term.
This mentality at Nike caused the company to move from object-focused ads to create a story around inspiration and to be able to achieve it, focusing on how normal people overcome their difficulties and become big.
Even when it is spoken from the perspective of an athlete it is done from a point of view that goes from its origin to become what it is now.
For this reason, in its commercials ‘Nike’ shows people who overcome their difficulties, leaving the message that with discipline results are achieved. Thus, “from his slogan ‘Just Do It’ invites a lifestyle that revolves around overcoming and invites people to reach their potential, but that world referred to ‘Nike’ is deeply marked by the use of its products
See the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG-m6GhS1g0
#2 Take Care of The Communities That Are Women
Secondly, this multinational has as its strategy “to take care of the communities that are women”. It means that ‘Nike’ noticed that it had penetration in people who practice different sports, so when they saw their community fragmented. They decided to create specialized dependencies to know each group of individuals and know them better.
If your brand is very large, different communities will be created around it and that is why you must understand each one independently and give them a distinctive treatment within their own terms.
This is how Nike saw that their community was fragmented into followers of different sports for which I think its different dependencies specialized in talking with niche groups to have a better relationship.
It is not only a matter of offering contents focused on them. It is to receive feedback on what is being done and to agree with them an outline of the roadmap to follow. This will guarantee interaction and reach. By doing this, we are creating more than a follow-up to a brand, a relationship with it.
It will lead to the generation of a feedback process, through which the organization interacts with its clients to maintain a relationship with them over time.
#3 Use the Channels That Customers Use
As a third digital strategy, ‘Nike’ “ used customer channels” It means, this multinational found that platforms such as YouTube were more used by their target audience than television. Therefore, they took the initiative to start broadcasting his commercials mainly through this social network to reach a greater number of people.
For this reason, their latest ads on video have had more airtime on YouTube than on television networks, effectively reaching their target audience and increasing their sales compared to past commercials. This way, they have achieved benefits in audience gain and cost reduction.
See the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EtOpbU9BhI
We must not be the one who just wait the customer find us. Instead, we are the ones who must do the work of reaching our target audience.
Nike understood this quickly and their latest video ads have had more airtime on YouTube than on television. This strategy effectively reached their target audience. As a result, it was increasing their sales compared to past commercials.
#4 Allow your audience to create their own content
Finally, “allow the public to create their own content” It means, you must give them the opportunity to design sports shoes in accordance with their style. It is a strategy that made users feel like valuable subjects for the company. Through this option, the company managed to reach with the emotions and feelings of the clients plays an important role.
This is how “the content created by users has two great advantages, the first reason is, it is free, because we do not have to make any investment for these marketing and branding efforts that the community gives use. Second, it is highly shared. It is because all efforts from the community are well received among those who integrate them.
Nike was able to capitalize on this opportunity and allowed its users to create their own tennis designs that they could buy on request and also share on social networks. In the first year, this option brought profits to the company for nearly USD 100 million and immense savings in branding due to the wave of impressions with their personalized product.
#5 Obviously, Make a Viral Content People Love to Share
The history of Nike advertising had been up and down. It was normal though, but most of the time, the trend has been outstanding. They were always innovating and proposing new ways of distributing new ideas. These what made Nike’s advertising something completely popular around the world. And it’s not easy being a sports shoe manufacturing company.
Let’s review the top five Nike advertising ads. Obviously, it is an objective selection, if you want to propose other Nike ads, feel free to put a comment below the post!
a. Just Do It — 1988
The famous slogan called Just Do It existed in 1988. The phrase was included as the closing of a television ad starring an 80-year-old retiree who was still running many kilometers every day. This had become a catchy element in public appearance.
b. Michael Jordan and Spike Lee
Then Jordan presented NIKE sneakers as his own Air Jordan shoes, which were banned in the NBA due to too much advertising. This shoe caused so much reaction in the market and, of course, in the media that it itself turned into a public relations tool — a key moment for NIKE. It is not surprising that the corporate turnover broke through the financial border of $ 1 billion.
c. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras
When sponsoring athletes, Nike opted for Americans. It was a time when globalization had not arrived and they had to access the athletes they had in their country. Among them, Pete Sampras and André Agassi who starred in an unforgettable time raising the popularity of Nike.
In 1995, they realized what later would be known as “Guerrilla Marketing”, simulating cutting the streets of New York and traffic to make a tennis match.
d. Nike — Airport
At the end of the 90s, Nike decided to sponsor teams and stars of an exotic sport for them, of which practically they did not understand anything: The Soccer. For this, he created the Nike Football division and studied football culture in each country where the sport audience raised their passions.
Then, they sponsored the Brazilian soccer team. The ad had been a great success. Indeed, it contained many things that boost its virality.
f. Nike — Good vs. Evil
And we come to the end of our series on the best Nike advertising ads. When sponsoring footballers, Nike decided on those players who offered something different to the world of football. Eric Cantona, Ronaldo, Kluivert, Figo, Maldini, etc … all of them are different players.
However, it was not until the European Championship in 1996, Nike decided to hit the table with his ‘ Good vs Evil’ that we already talked about in his day. This ad became a spectacular spot that was dedicated to a special event on European television the night of the premiere.
#6 Money & Creativity
Nike has a great advantage over any other consumer company. Let’s be honest! It has a huge budget to promote its products. It is something that allows you to project your vision to the last corner of the planet.
This power allows him to take risks that other corporations could not afford. This is what the company has just done with every ad he did. However, before reaching on this level, they sacrifice a lot of their time and energy to think as creative as possible.
#7 Be Aware of Current Social Issues
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback became a symbol of the fight against racism after being insulted by Donald Trump for not respecting the anthem. The US president finally has criticized Nike’s latest announcement with Kaepernick.
Nike always tried to project an image of authenticity and choose as protagonists of its advertisements characters that symbolized nascent social and cultural movements. Finally, the actor consolidated the company so the public made it grow. For them, it’s not just selling footwear or sportswear.
It is estimated that the media coverage that Nike achieved in the campaign with Colin Kaepernick generated an ultra-large exposure. Some said that it would have cost more than 40 million dollars only on the first day. Nike has always gone against the grain and has done well
Even I estimated that In a few years, we will talk again about a new campaign that creates controversy. It is precisely what makes them ahead of the competition.
At Last..
The evolution of its advertising campaign proves that the strategy was working. The success story of NIKE is based on constant innovation and timely investments, which have resulted in NIKE making a profit of hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
In subsequent years, NIKE developed its tactics by focusing on the sales representatives of its products and combining it into a successful strategy, signing contracts with popular athletes and sportswomen. This was the most known strategy they did in the last few years.
Today, NIKE can call itself undoubtedly the largest manufacturer of sportswear and footwear in the world. As a model to follow effective brand marketing, the company continues to focus on consumer desire and never ceases to improve.
The ability to incorporate the decisions of Bill Bowerman and the business innovations of Phil Knight created the success story of NIKE and led to the fact that NIKE has become one of the most profitable and recognizable companies on the planet. In 2012, its annual income amounted to more than 24 billion dollars. Today, NIKE employs more than 44,000 people, and the brand itself is estimated at almost $ 10 billion.
Do you think you can apply what Nike just on its own company? Share your thoughts below!
