Is Advertising Taking Some Unique Turns? Judge after You Watch the Latest Nike Ad

Nike as one of the top sportswear brands has always been powerful in giving a strong message and this time the new advertising is the talk of the town. Industry stalwart and columnist Robert Strohfeldt says the latest campaign is mind-blowing and has definitely got elements to shake of the head of the industry. The main reason stated by him is that nothing of such sort was seen before.

Why is the term cult associated with advertising?

Cult is often terminalized with negative connotations and to changes that are very difficult to decipher. Some groups even consider going away from the mainstream as evil. Well, the definitions that go and state individuals or things that are well known or chic among a specific gathering or segment of society definitely go with advertising.

By a long shot, the greatest change has been inside the states of mind and practices of the general population in promoting and publicizing, not purchasers.

Everything began with the computerized frenzy when the new century rolled over and adopted digital media.

The last five years of digital media have seen a reorganizing of ideation and presentation keeping in mind the platform of digital. As per experts integration was not at all possible as one size won’t fit all the models due to major conflicts of interest and the way of measurement of success. But one thing that remained the core of advertising is being a cult through various diverse approaches. In 1984, the Benetton campaign was somewhat a cult at that point of time, as mentioned by experts. The campaign was such that everyone is joined by the Colors of Benetton regardless of your race, culture or sex.

All the sensation around the ad

Now, in the present scenario, experts believe that the latest Nike ad, featuring Colin Kaepernick was definitely able to re-establish the requirement of the cult in the industry of advertising. The creative heads from the industry are swooning over the ad and sharing terms as “brave”, “I wish I made it”, “carries on the Nike tradition” and the appreciation is pooling in and overflowing.

But nothing seems complete enough without haters. Does it? So, here come the people who are stating this as utter bullshit. There are allegations of not providing enough historical facts and myth engulfing a lot of the ad. Some have even mentioned that Nike has never focused on social issues like their competitors.

The talked about cult has always been unique and that goes without a doubt. The "Just Do It" crusade was adopted by Nike in 1988 by Dan Wieden. As per sources, it was taken from Gary Gilmore who was a criminal, sentenced to death. Those were his last words as he shouted "Let’s Do It", just before he was executed by terminating squad on January 1977, in the territory of Utah. This was again a cult as it was the first execution following a multi-year ban on executions. Or maybe amusing that Nike utilized the expressions of an indicted killer for the premise of their "famous" battle and made billions.

The marketing strategy adopted by Nike in the ad

Nike rose to acclamation on the back of supporting first-class competitors. Michael Jordan’s contribution to the brand was considered enormous and it helped in developing the brand. Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Ronaldinho all were associated with the brand at some point in their career. The rundown of competitors and games developed, and developed with the brand's ubiquity. The hottest news on each significant game on the planet was at some time, supported by Nike.

So, some experts are saying that this is not anything new in featuring Colin Kaepernick as the strategy in advertising.

So, the most recent Nike battle has nothing in the same way as their incredible crusades of the past. As per the reports, there’s a clear divide. Around 50% of America could be concurred with Colin Kaepernick, and the rest half didn't get excited.

The topsy-turvy reviews on the ad

Experts comment on this and say that in the event if you are annoying a large portion of your potential clients to express a political assessment for the cause of publicizing, you are in the wrong business.

As per sources, it appears "Brand Purpose" is superseding business reality. But it has been perceived for quite a long time, most likely as a great and useful method for business.

There’s another part of the advertising experts who are saying that the immense incongruity in this ad is the ignorance of the fact that whatever be the message, at the end of the day it is the brand that is attempting to offer shoes. There is no doubt about the star featured in the ad. Trusting the featuring of Kaepernick's position will be monetarily gainful, there are still questions over the business and the sales figure. Still, the agenda of the ad is not known and if there is a probability that the ad is being done for some other reason then the fact lies that the message is not transmitted equally to the audience.

If the trend and terminalized institution of advertising are to be followed, and that is Ogilvy, then definitely there is a gap. As the experts from those houses say, any ad, if not understood by the target audience is not a successful ad.

So, what are your views over the new ad from the point of view of an audience and as a probable buyer who would like to choose the brand for the ad? Do share your insights and feedback.