Nike #JustDoit: The Original Hashtag

Nike Just Do It.

You may have recently heard that the inspiration for Nike's iconic Just Do It. campaign came from the last words of an notorious Americian murderer. Utah killer Gary Gilmore, who was sentenced to death for robbery and murder, reportedly said "Let's Do this" just before facing the firing squad. The co-founder of the advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy, Dan Wieden, said that he took this quote and changed it into the infamous tagline. Nearly 30 years on it has become as synonymous with Nike as the swoosh symbol, and is one of the most successful taglines of the 20th century .So how has the "original hashtag" been able to stand the test of time?

Well to start with the tagline is universal. Unlike Dove's "real beauty" campaign which is aimed at women aged 30 and above, this campaign transcends all social divisions; gender, race, class and age.In 1988 when the phrase made its TV debut, Nike were re-thinking their market strategy. In order to differentiate itself from its main rival Reebok, who focused on the 80's aerobics craze, Nike hoped to target a much bigger audience; everyone! Nike wanted its brand to be the brand of choice of every American regardless of age, gender or physical fitness. This is typically concerned a faux par in marketing circles, as it is often considered impossible to satisfy the needs of everyone. But equipped with a new tagline, Nike were able to do exactly that. The tagline can interpreted beyond its literal meaning thus giving each individual the scope to interpret it on a personal level. This unique trait aids people in establishing a personal and lasting connection with the brand,in other words, it encourages brand loyalty and ultimately brand equity. Brand loyalty was something that Nike craved in the mid 80's when, (though its hard to believe now), it was number two in the sports shoe market. However, The Just Do It campaign propelled Nike to the top of the trainer foodchain, and increased their market share of the American trainer business from 18 per cent to 43 per cent between 1988 and 1998.

Not only did the tagline help the old bank balance and create brand loyalty, it also contributed to Nikes unprecedented brand awareness.
Brand awareness deals with whether a brand comes into mind when consumers think about a particular product category, and the ease with which that name is evoked. Just Do It is as simple as it is memorable which is essential for brand recognition and brand recall. At the most basic level, after seeing the words paired with the word Nike just once, you begin to recognise the slogan (brand recognition).  Over time the slogan itself is enough for us to recall the brand by name (brand recall). The campaign is so easily identifiable that the sports brand no longer needs to display the word Nike in these ads- the words alone are enough. You have to admit that it is quite impressive that the whole world knows who the brand is and what it stands for from just three words and a full stop. I mean, Addias couldn't do that with their #Impossibleisnothing or their new on #Therewillbehaters campaign. Even the fact that Adidas have recently changed slogans illustrates they inability to cultivate a slogan with the same clout as their closet rival.

Today, Nike is the worlds biggest sportswear company with $25 billion in revenue last year and has reported a 7% jump in revenue for the latest quarter. Nike as a brand are going from strength to strength and they owe a lot of their success to three magic words.