In the late 1980’s when Nike was in the midst of figuring out how to reposition the brand with the women’s market (see Soulful Branding for the full case study) we found that hardcore, male, testosterone-driven, competitive sports heroes, images and stories were all pervasive, defining the ethos of the Nike brand. Recognizing the inappropriateness of the hardcore male sports ethos in communicating with women was the first step in successfully repositioning the Nike brand....
In January 1996 after ten years of leading Nike’s Global Marketing Insights & Planning I accepted the VP of Brand Planning position at Starbucks.
Playing to win is a sports metaphor that describes discernable action on the court or field by a team putting out extra effort to close a gap, come from behind and win the game. It is characterized by bold play calling, players making unusual moves to break free, get open and score. The opposing team who is in the lead often adopts a different posture, a prevent defense, stalling to burn down the clock and...
Not all brand campaigns are created equal. Some have the power to deepen relationships and broaden the access point for your brand. From 1986 – 1996 I held the position of Director of Marketing Insights & Planning for Nike, Inc. These were the years where marketing and brand planning as internal disciplines were being defined for the first time. Reflecting back there are five things I learned in helping to bring the Just Do It (JDI)...
Just Do It is an example of a brand campaign that tapped deeply into the authentic character of Nike’s brand values and brand purpose. But, few people know about the internal conversations that led to the ad brief that went to Nike’s agency Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) to create the campaign.
