Brand Personification
Nike, Inc.
Hey folks, it’s your dearest back here again for the third Medium post (yes, I’ve been keeping count). This post is dedicated to the final assignment, in fact the final class of Marketing Management. I don’t know what I feel about it, but what I do know is that I’ve learnt a lot. Me now and me before this class would be a different person (in terms of marketing knowledge). I am packed with resourceful content, and here goes my last assignment, enjoy!
Nike, Incorporated. Founded back in 1964 in the U.S., this multinational corporation is now worth approximately 34.8 billion dollars.
This is not about the numbers, well not entirely at least. Money matters, but behind all that is the company’s persona. That’s right, I’m here to talk about the personality of this brand. Out of the five dimensions of brand personality entailing sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness comes its various traits. Those very sets of traits are relatable to a specific consumer segment. In the case of Nike, ‘excitement’ seems to be the title that fits best. It’s brand personification is commonly described as — “Nike has an active lifestyle, inspirational, exciting, cool personality”. These are all traits that directly relates to the ‘excitement’ dimension, making it the most fitting. Nike-as-a-person is described to be exciting, provocative, spirited, innovative, cool, aggressive, and into health & fitness. Since the 1980s, Nike has been endorsing the very best athletes across a wide variety of sports. Through this, they portray Nike’s persona as exciting, provocative, innovative, and durable. Customers are more likely to purchase the brand if its personality is similar to their own. This positive, emotional association in the minds of ideal customer groups is impactful in numerous aspects such as the brand equity, brand attitude, and marketing campaigns for starters. Ergo, this framework of brand personification is essential for Nike to address and accurately define so it resonates with correct consumer segments, and numerous interests shall follow that benefit the firm. Nike’s slogan ‘Just Do It’ is provocative and aspirational to everyone who is into achievement. It has also been proven that when any of their garments are worn, the brand elicits a sense of confidence. This behaviorism-associationism is truly intriguing; is it just me? All this and more contributes to the way consumers feel about its products. Furthermore, Nike’s wide-ranging personification has sparked great brand loyalty, making people opt for their brand over their competitors.
Surf through a couple images which reflects the brand persona:
Lastly, in all frankness, I personally prefer Nike over Adidas as well. #JustDoIt
