Nike continues to roll out assets in its largest women’s initiative ever – Better For It – led by an ‘Inner Thoughts’ central TV commercial capturing the inner dialogue of a women stuck behind a row of models in a spin class, a runner through a half marathon and a beginner yogi.
The global, multi-language #BetterForIt campaign aims to support and motivate women’s athletic journeys.
According to the Beaverton-based sportswear behemoth, the approach is about ‘powering women to be better through services, product innovation and athlete inspiration, motivating each other to push to the next level’.
This is a significant Nike push toward marketing to women and the core messages aim to encourage women to push to achieve their fitness goals.
Further campaign content pieces include a series of short films:
‘Best Worst Seat’
‘Challenge Yourself’
‘Best Intentions’
‘Calf Complaints’
‘Split Second Of Glory’
‘Breathable’
Plus insights and tips from athletes ambassadors – such as four-time gold medal winning sprinter Allyson Felix.
‘As athletes, we always want things to happen right away,’ says Felix. ‘We want to put in the work and then we want to see the immediate results. But what’s important is looking at the full journey, the process, and taking the joy from that — even the ups and the downs. That’s what makes it all worth it.’
Felix says #BetterForIt is a process – not about a few seconds or a single winning moment, but rather a programme built upon a foundation of hundreds of #betterforit moments.
In addition to traditional print and outdoor ads, the campaign also deploys multi-form content across the Nike Women social platforms, such as Twitter.
You lead. Your legs will follow. #betterforit http://t.co/wwHgGF7YTu
https://t.co/eA8JOXeYsM
— Nike Women (@nikewomen) April 27, 2015
The initiative also comes with an interactive, participatory consumer challenge strand,
There's no better time to start than now. Grab your crew & join the challenge. #betterforit http://t.co/jBmMVKTZB4 pic.twitter.com/yYFC2VCmOV
— Nike Women (@nikewomen) May 1, 2015
‘Every athlete has goals. And Nike is the link between you and your aspirations,’ says Nike Women VP Amy Montagne. ‘We provide more than encouragement – with initiatives like #betterforit, Nike provides the tools for women to expand their personal athletic potential.’
In terms of tone, the campaign (which debuted during the 2015 MTV Music Awards), is a little lighter and more fun, thus contrasting with Nike’s heritage of hardcore, aggressive and direct motivational messages.
The creative certainly contrasts with Nike’s typically stridently confident (even arrogant) and aggressive male sports ambassador led campaigns.
The strategy is intended to recognise both generational and gender differences.
The younger generation of women that Nike now covets are focused on healthy lifestyle and on sharing experiences with their friends rather than on aggression and victory.
‘We definitely made a deliberate choice to focus on celebrating the everyday girl in her most honest state and natural state for this campaign, rather than focusing on professional athletes,’ says Nike spokesperson Charlie Brooks.
‘We felt it was important to recognize and capture the honest and open humour and pitfalls of leading an active life from an ‘everyday’ perspective.’
As ever, the initiative is being developed in partnership with long-term agency Wieden + Kennedy Portland.
The campaign’s creative directors at W+K were Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’Rourke and Dan Viens, with copy writers Heather Ryder and Darcie Burrell, art director Patty Orlando, producers Molly Tait, Julie Gursha and Matt Hunnicutt, strategic planners Jocelin Shalom, Tom Suharto and Irina Tone, media and comms planners Emily Dalton, Destinee Scott and Emily Graham and account runners Karrelle Dixon, Alyssa Ramsey, Marisa Weber and Jim Zhou leading the team.
Business Affairs were handled by Anna Beth Nagel, the executive creative directors were Mark Fitzloff and Joe Staples, the production company was Iconoclast with Matthew Frost as director and Charles-Marie Anthonioz as executive producer.
Editing was handled by Rock Paper Scissors, visual effects by A52, music by Nylon Studios, Barking Owl and Joy, mix by Lime Studios and art from Apollo 100
Comment
Nike aims to engage more effectively with the average, amateur athlete and anecdotal digital comment suggests that this slightly sprightly and cheerful accent seems to be resonating with women.
One YouTube campaign comments said:
‘It’s not often I love commercials. But this one reminds us that everyone has insecurities and that we can accomplish anything, and I think that’s a really special thing to focus on in an ad.’
It is also rolling out in parallel with other female-targeted Nike campaign – such as its initiative promoting the new US Women’s National Soccer Team’s World Cup Kit (see case study).
This is clearly part of Nike’s wider response to Under Armour’s spectacularly successful and award-winning campaign that marked its own change of approach to engaging with women – led by ‘I Will What I Want’s ballerina Misty Copeland and model Gisele Bundchen (see case study).
It also responds to other mainstream sportswear competitor campaigns such as Reebok’s ‘Be More Human’ (see case study), as well as relative newcomers to the women’s exercise and sports space such as Luluemon.
Little wonder Nike’s reaction has been sharp and well-supported – after all, the women’s apparel and training market for Nike has eclipsed its men’s business in sales.
Links
Nike Women Website:
http://www.nike.com/in/en_gb/c/womens-training/
Nike Women Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/NikeWomenUK?brand_redir=6261664682
Nike Women Twitter:
Nike Women Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/nikewomen/
Nike Soccer Website:
Nike Soccer USA Women’ Team – Shop The Collection:
http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pw/womens-fan-gear-usa-soccer/ck8Z896Z9zkZnns
Wieden + Kennedy Portland.
