Might Seem CRAZY, But Your Brand Needs It!
Hi Guys!!
It’s been a while … I know!!
A lot has changed … but before I start with my numerous apologies, can I just share with you my favorite ad right now?
Nike and Serena Williams have just redefined what it means to be called a female in the ever changing climate that is the work force. Be it sports, marketing comms, medicine or any other field, Nike and Serena have just changed the game!
Watching the ad this morning had me all pumped up!
I had posted a number of things on my snapchat about it and had gotten “twitter-feminist-like” comments. It was then I saw that human beings still don’t get it.
I’ll take myself as an example.
I might have it easy (̵b̵e̵c̵a̵u̵s̵e̵ ̵I̵ ̵d̵o̵n̵’̵t̵ ̵h̵a̵v̵e̵ ̵a̵ ̵h̵u̵s̵b̵a̵n̵d̵ ̵o̵r̵ ̵k̵i̵d̵s̵ ̵y̵e̵t̵)̵, but having to go through hormones, menstrual cramps, misogynists, sizists and downright rude and disrespectful human beings daily and doing it with a smile on your face because “Client Service”, isn’t the easiest thing.
So when Nike uses Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Chloe Kim and members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team to document my struggle, and several other women’s, in this almost 2 minutes master piece, it’s great to know that I am not alone. None of us are.
I love Nike, not just because of how stylish their fits are but because Nike has continued to inspire, enable and encourage women, especially female athletes, to push their bounds, reaching and surpassing their potentials in sports and other activities.
PR lessons from this ad?
(I apologies to the non-PR people on here, but I see PR in everything 😅)
- Know Your Audience. I always say this to my team. You really can’t tell great stories without knowing who you’re telling them to. Nike knows exactly who their audience is. Nike knows me. Nike knew what would literally get me and millions of other women around the world talking.
- Tug at their passion points, but be careful while doing it! It’s one thing to know what your audience’s pressure points are, it’s another thing to actually intelligently and carefully meet them there. A lot of brands in a shitty attempt to seem “avant-garde” or in tune with pop culture end up looking off, stupid or (I don’t even know if this is worse off …) paralytically bland.
- Like the two-minute spot featuring Colin Kaepernick, spurring popular conversations hinting at your brand’s values is a great look, especially when well executed. Speaking intelligently to your target audience’s dreams and ambitions is always good for your brand. It communicates the stance of support and enablement.
- Content like this take the attention away from a brewing crisis. The ad was dropped just days after Nike’s brand-damaging shoe splitting incident. Nike’s stock took a hit after Zion Williamson’s, Duke’s star player, shoes literally gave way on the court.
- Like in the Colin Kaepernick situation, brands need to learn how to embrace backlash. In the age of social media, backlash isn’t always a terrible thing. You just need to have the right minds on your team. I’ve been following the Nigerian elections and I saw several opportunities the INEC had to turn things around, especially on social media and via traditional media, but alas … an epic fail!
- Think Long Term. Not everything should be a spark in the pan or a one-off. Why not think up long ranging ideas that will have several sparks but will ride out the waves. And I say this to a lot of my clients and colleagues … “Don’t think of just the now, think of your brand’s future”. It’s your baby after all. How are you bringing it up in a way you can be proud of, decades down the line?
I hope you watch the ad and get millions of goosebumps like I did!
I’m challenged to do great work with the brands I work for this year!
Are you into marketing communications too? What’s this ad spurring in your mind?
Shoot me an email! I’d love to discuss further!!
Lots of Love!!
-Pookie!
