What Day is the Only One That Matters?

 

"I always talked to my players about today.

It's the only day that matters."

John Wooden.

 

 

NIKE

 

 

Nike isn’t the swoosh.  The swoosh symbol is synonymous with Nike, but the logo isn’t the story.  So what is the Nike Story?

 

          Nike has branded itself with the phrase, “Just do it.”  The phrase has become a part of the vernacular.  People everywhere, when contemplating life’s tough choices, whether in sports or the day to day use the phrase “Just do it.” as a motivational tool.

 

          The story has transcended the brand, but will forever be associated with Nike.

 

          Phil Knight was a runner.  He wasn’t a great runner, but his story is one of triumph.  He ran until his feet bled.  How is that for a powerful image?

 

          Phil was a runner in high school, and the track shoes his coach gave him made his feet bleed.  They weren’t designed for athletes.  So Phil, along with his coach, built a better mousetrap.  In this case, it was the shoe.

 

          (Which was another classic advertising bit from Nike, with Spike Lee and Michael Jordan, “It’s the shoes!” that entered into the cultural zeitgeist)

 

          Phil had a couple of things going for his sports company.  He built a better product than what was on the market, and the timing couldn’t have been better, since he hit before the big jogging craze that swept the nation in the late seventies.  But the genius of Nike is it’s branding through celebrity endorsement, and the story of Jordan, the story of Bo Jackson, and the story of “Just do it.”

 

          Nike also had a campaign that many considered awesome, but that failed to connect with the audience and transcend.

 

          “All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough, they'll say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. They will tell you no. And YOU WILL TELL THEM YES.”

 

          This advertisement had a powerful message, but failed to connect with the audience because it lacked story.  It was  a motivational poster prayer that many took to heart, but few failed to follow.  It adheres to some of the simple philosophies that make THE STORY important.

 

          It’s simple.  It’s quirky.  It’s emotional.  But it fails to present a concrete idea. (Yes?  Yes to what?)

 

          Another Nike advertisement that does succeed on the story level is the following:

 

          “Jack and Jill raced up a hill to see who was faster, Jack's feet were bare and Jill had NIKE Air, so Jack could never catch her."

 

          Notice how it ties in with a beloved childhood nursery rhyme, note that it’s simple, unexpected and emotional.  Come on, you had to read it and smile.  Unless your name was Jack, and you were a loser at running, in which case, you can take a moment to cry.  Go on, we’ll wait.

 

          Better?

 

          See, stories that resonate with the heart are the ones we remember.  Stories

that are credible, and emotional and unexpected connect with the audience.

 

 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE STORIES?

 

Essential Tool for Telling Stories

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