- Nike debuted the following leg of its gritty “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” campaign with ads targeting runners, per details shared with Marketing Dive. The launch is timed to marathon season.
- “Winning isn’t Comfortable” features 4 brand movies that depict the unglamorous and arduous features of running, including grappling with harsh outdoor elements, but in addition the reward of pushing beyond one’s limits. Out-of-home (OOH) creative shares the theme around contending with hard truths.
- Wieden + Kennedy Portland is behind the hassle that appears to increase Nike’s momentum coming out of the Summer Olympics. Running is a category where Nike has lost some of its foothold to upstarts similar to Hoka.
Nike is constructing out its latest campaign, which centers on the ruthless drive it takes to win, with an overture to runners. The sportswear giant’s presence in running traces back to its roots, however it has missed out on the recent boom in running clubs, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, while up-and-comers like Hoka and legacy rivals like Brooks Running have won more market share.
“Winning isn’t Comfortable” takes a hard-edged have a look at how running can seem miserable, an angle which may resonate with enthusiasts who’re entering the height of training for marathon season. Nike’s Pegasus lineup of running sneakers is in the highlight for the campaign.
The first video released, “Sunshine,” depicts people pelted by rain and wind and trudging through muck on their runs. A delicate version of the lullaby “You Are My Sunshine,” performed by Christina Perri, provides contrast. College basketball player JuJu Watkins appears in the video, which went live Thursday. A second spot, “Morning,” focuses on the dread of waking as much as a run.
Two future brand movies, “Joy” and “Stairs,” address the issue in hitting a progress wall and the way it will possibly be painful to walk down stairs following a race, respectively. Megaforce directed the creative. OOH ads, which Nike can also be promoting on its social channels, carry over the edgy attitude. “If you don’t hate running slightly, you don’t love running enough,” reads one.
Nike can also be emphasizing its on-the-ground marketing by hosting events and retail experiences, together with its sponsorship of upcoming marathons in Shanghai, Chicago and Melbourne. The brand losing sight of its ground game was a concentrate on the Journal’s report. Running club sessions, running lounges and workshops factor into Nike’s retail strategy while the brand’s NRC App, which has an updated logo, is offering a “run beyond plan” to push users out of their comfort zone.
In-your-face messaging is a key piece of “Winning Isn’t for Everyone,” a platform Nike bowed across the Summer Olympics in Paris that’s positioned as the corporate’s boldest brand expression in years. Initial ads feature a roster of iconic athlete ambassadors with voiceover narration by Willem Dafoe listing off the qualities — especially negative traits, like selfishness and obsession — that made them what they’re.
Nike’s Olympics marketing was distinctive but underperformed in certain respects, similar to driving brand equity and persuasion, in line with a Kantar evaluation.
A return to bolder brand constructing is a component of Nike’s turnaround plan following a period of slumping sales and a large overswing toward direct-to-consumer channels. Nike saw revenue dip 2% to $12.6 billion in its latest financial quarter while revenues from Nike Direct, its DTC arm, slid 8%.
Read the total article here
