JULY 22, 2008

Nike, Adidas . . . Under Armour?

Nike’s Just Do It turns 20 this month. 

And I bought Nikes before they had the slogan? What was I thinking? Now the slogan has become part of everyday parlance. Why does that matter?

Nike practiced something many companies forget: message simplicity and message consistency.

For twenty years, we’ve heard mostly one thing from Nike: Just Do It. You may love it or you may hate it. Like vanilla or chocolate… everyone has an opinion, but at least they have one. In the case of Nike, it’s mostly favorable.

To me, the phrase embodies a can-do attitude. It is about the art of the possible. It is about making things happen, rather than waiting for life to happen to you. I want to believe in a product, a company, that espouses those values.  And it is, in part, because of Nike’s investment in this brand image that the negative issues the company encountered along the way could be addressed – the Nike way.

An example of Just Do It’s opposite, or “message complexity,” was Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention four years before he ran for President. In reflection he said, “It wasn’t my finest hour. It wasn’t even my finest hour and a half.” His was the classic case of an intelligent person who didn’t want to say the same thing in the same way twice, much less in a succinct way. It was supposed to be Clinton’s national coming out, but the only thing people remembered was that he spoke too long. There was no message, no story.  He learned this lesson before starting his campaign for the Presidency.  During his Presidency, proof of his message consistency could be heard when the traveling press corps would groan and even recite some of his repeated stump speech lines. For Clinton, who was seeking to persuade new audiences, message consistency and simplicity was the goal. Repetition of simple messages gave Clinton a chance to have his message, his story, heard. 

Paul Begala, in making the point for message simplicity, asked Clinton “Do you know what John 3:16 says?” Begala’s logic is if the Bible can explain the reason to believe in God in less than 30 words, then their White House team should be able to explain to the American public why its economic plan made sense without giving long speeches or showing mind numbing charts. It’s hard to argue against.

Whether it’s political campaigns or athletic apparel, the landscape is always changing and the competition always trying to win - a marketplace, a consumer or a vote.  Today, Under Armour is the Chihuahua (or maybe it’s a Terrapin) sneaking into Kruger Reserve and eating next to the lions, Adidas and Nike. The latter both know they must continue to fulfill and enhance their brand images. Nike is launching a new campaign called Courage. Smartly, consumers are asked to engage. Nike understand that a conversation can enhance its brand. Adidas is investing millions in global advertising that is meant to sweep the Beijing Olympics. And the Chihuahua, Under Armour, is plotting its next moves. It’s even hired a new CEO who is familiar with the lions.

As we talk about at TMG, the message is part of the mix, but innovation and leadership are also essential. Under Armour has had a surprisingly strong start. But can it keep it up and build a global brand? Can it harness the power of message simplicity and message consistency? This Chihuahua (Terrapin) fan hopes so.