The Power of Brand

I just bought my fourth pair of Nike shoes for the last year. And I started thinking about the power of brand and what stands behind it.

I’ve been the biggest Nike fan for the last 7 or 8 years. I’ve never had shoes of any other brand and never wanted to. I read books and articles about Nike inventions. I watch all Nike ad campaigns. I visited two Nike Labs in NY and Milan just to take a look what exclusive models they have and sometimes I sign up for lotteries. Does they have cheaper price? No. Does they have better shoes? Probably.

Building a brand is not about logic. It’s all about EMOTIONS — telling a story, bringing values and creating loyalty. I’m doing all these things, because I feel myself as a part of the community — people, who always moves forward and every word of their “Just do it” philosophy resonate with my own values.

“Driving back to Portland I’d puzzle over my sudden success at selling. I’d been unable to sell encyclopedias, and I’d despised it to boot. I’d been slightly better at selling mutual funds, but I’d felt dead inside. So why was selling shoes so different? Because, I realized, it wasn’t selling. I believed in running. I believed that if people got out and ran a few miles every day, the world would be a better place, and I believed these shoes were better to run in. People, sensing my belief, wanted some of that belief for themselves. Belief, I decided. Belief is irresistible.” ― Phil Knight, Shoe Dog

Don’t build just business. Build a story.