Nike - Just Do It…
Exploring the visual and verbal language of one of the biggest brands out there, Nike!
Nike is one of the biggest footwear apparel brands in the world. Overtime the brand's visual and verbal language was changed, but the important aspects always remained.
Nike manages to appeal to anyone and everyone around the world. This brand achieves this by focusing heavily on emotional storytelling.The brand is easily recognised by its simple and memorable logo, the swoosh. This sets it apart from any other competitors.
If Nike had a voice, what would it sound like? Confident, competitive and inspiring? Yes, yes and yes. What make the verbal language of Nike so unique, is the fact that it reaches out to all kinds of people in the world through its tone of voice. Nike speaks to the emotional side of people through their ads and always has a motivational story to tell. Rarely do they ever mention their products in advertising or videos, yet almost everyone knows at least 1 or 2 Nike products. This shows how powerful their voice is. Their “Just Do It” slogan drives people to go for what they want.
Nike's successful brand identity strategy starts with now they told their story so well and emotionally got their consumers hooked. The story connects all the brand stakeholders to the brand purpose. The brand history shows how the brand came into being after Phil Knight desperately needed running shoes to help him excel and be comfortable for his feet. Together with his coach, they created the well-known “waffle iron” sole to help with speed and prevents injury.
It is clear the brands focus was TOP athletic performance from the get go. This man wanted to succeed and this brand took him from a place of disadvantage winning status. Everyone wants to win, and this is who we identify with Nike so well. This is a well-executed emotional branding. This appeals to athletes who are determined to achieve great things, bringing out the personality aspect in the brand. This makes you feel like you are set to be successful when wearing Nike. This ensures customer loyalty.
Visual language:
Simple, minimalistic swoosh logo
Full of energy advertising
Verbal language:
Competitive, motivating, confident
“Just Do It” slogan
Athletic sporting personality
Self-image motivation
Emotional connection to consumers
- By Simone Pullen -
References:
All images are from Pinterest
Hashem, H. (2021) 5 things we can learn from Nike's brand identity and advertising strategy, Kubbco. Available at: https://www.kubbco.com/5-things-we-can-learn-from-nikes-brand-identity-and-advertising-strategy/ (Accessed: March 23, 2023).
Fisovee (2018) Exploring Nike's brand positioning, fisovee. Available at: https://fisovee.wordpress.com/2017/11/21/brand-identity-of-nike/comment-page-1/ (Accessed: March 24, 2023).
Minds, B. (2021) Nike: The story behind the brand, Medium. Medium. Available at: https://brand-minds.medium.com/nike-the-story-behind-the-brand-f3d8e5d9d725 (Accessed: March 24, 2023).
Pride, A. (2022) What you can learn from Nike branding strategy, Rival IQ. Available at: https://www.rivaliq.com/blog/nike-branding-strategy/ (Accessed: March 24, 2023).