Brendan GahanCEO/Co-Founder Of Creator Authority (Influencer Marketing Agency)

Where did Nike’s slogan come from? #nike #justdoit #wk #wiedenandkennedy #wiedenkennedy #slogans

Name: Where did Nike’s slogan come from? #nike #justdoit #wk #wiedenandkennedy #wiedenkennedy #slogans
Uploaded: 2022-09-20T13:00:12+00:00
Duration: 1 min 12 s
Channel: Brendan Gahan
Description: The video narrates how Nike transformed from a niche running‑shoe company into the world’s leading athletic brand by adopting a mass‑market strategy in…

20 Sept 2022 · 1 min

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1:12

The video narrates how Nike transformed from a niche running‑shoe company into the world’s leading athletic brand by adopting a mass‑market strategy in the mid‑1980s. Struggling to find a unifying tagline, Dan Wieden, co‑founder of the agency Wieden+Kennedy, recalled the final words of executed serial killer Gary Gilmore – “Let’s do it.” Wieden altered the phrase to “Just Do It,” avoiding direct credit to Gilmore, and the first commercial featuring the slogan aired in July 1988. The campaign resonated instantly, propelling Nike’s growth to over $40 billion in annual revenue and cementing the slogan as a cultural touchstone. The story highlights the unexpected source of the tagline and its pivotal role in Nike’s brand dominance.

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Here's the incredible story of how a serial killer became responsible for the most famous brand tagline of all time. Just Do It made Nike the most iconic brand in the world, inspiring everyone from Jordan to you or I to strive for greatness. But it wasn't always that way. In the mid-'80s, Nike was really just a hardcore running shoe brand. They were getting killed by the likes of Adidas and Reebok. So what did Nike do? They changed their entire strategy, going mass market, embracing the idea that if you had a body, you were an athlete. But they struggled to identify a tagline that brought this to life. That is, until Dan Wieden, co-founder of Nike's ad agency Wieden Kennedy, remembered the final words of serial killer Gary Gilmore. Wieden had read in the newspaper that as Gilmore faced the firing squad, he shouted his last words, "Let's do it!" Wieden decided to change "let's" to "just" so they wouldn't have to credit Gilmore. Finally, in July of 1988, the first "Just Do It" commercial was released. "Just Do It" was an instant hit. "Just Do It" helped take Nike from a small running shoe brand to the largest athletic company in the world. Over 30 years later, dominating the marketplace, generating over $40 billion in revenue annually. And that's the story of how a serial killer contributed to the success of one of the biggest brands in the world.