What do you think of when someone mentions Nike? Perhaps athletes and the slogan Just Do It? Customers remember Nike so well because of its inspiring content narrative. Nike is a brand that revolves around sports, but their strategy is not to have commercials full of its merchandise. Instead Nike captivates its customers attention with its storytelling. I am a Kobe Bryant fan so when Nike releases commercials featuring him in it during NBA season, I’m ecstatic. And it’s all because Nike develops stories that customers can relate to. Nike tells the right story and here are the 5 elements to why it is successful when creating its content narrative.
Five key elements that make up holistic brand strategy 101:
Content Narrative according to Michael Brito in Your Brand: The Next Media Company claims how your brands, “should translate the core tenets…into a story that demonstrates how your business relates to its customers.”
1. Brand Position: How will a customer benefit from a brand? This is about what a company does for its customers. Nike’s brand claims that if you have a body, then you are an athlete. Nike aims to inspire and provide high-quality performance gear for any type of athlete. When I see Bryant in a Nike Ad it motivates me to go out and buy the latest Nike shirt featuring Bryant. Or to buy some new Nike apparel.
2. Brand Promise: What brands deliver to its customers is important because brands need to follow through with its promise. In Nike’s situation it promises sport-inspired lifestyle products that suit any type of athlete. As a customer of Nike, they never fail me when it comes to high-quality sportswear. I own six Nike running shoes, soccer cleats, and a lot of clothing. This is all because they deliver on its promise of great sport products.
3. Brand Personality: This revolves around what the company is known for. Nike is known for athlete achievement and encouraging athlete’s to perform at the next level. Nike challenges its customers to be the best they can be. In the image in this post, Nike has embedded its brand position and made it relevant to Bryant’s NBA career. Nike took advantage of Bryant’s big NBA comeback and made it connect with Nike. Creative.
4. Brand Story: This is all about a brand’s history and credibility. Nike is credible because it provides great merchandise. Nike has numerous commercials that many enjoy, that is a big chunk of Nike’s brand history. Nike molds itself to fit the latest trends and content that customers seek. For instance, Nike promotes basketball and football season. Nike is known for its creative commercials. People are entertained by that therefore, Nike continues to branch off that. I know that Nike commercials featuring Bryant make me and other Laker fans very happy.
5. Brand Association: According to Brito this is a brand’s, “logo, colors, taglines, fonts, imagery and so on.” Nike is known for it’s black check mark and slogan Just Do It. It’s logo never changes however its taglines are innovative. Simple refer the to the Bryant photo in this post, the tagline is creative. Nike works with the most popular pro-athletes. Many people idolize pro-athletes therefore Nike becomes be more appealing to customers. For instance, Bryant fans, will buy Laker merchandise that Nike makes. Nike promotes his name therefore, customers will come back to Nike knowing it supports their favorite athlete.
Creating a brand is complex, it’s never simple. That is why only a few companies are successful. It takes all these elements and more to develop a brand that customers can relate to. Customers want relevance and relatable content.
Ashley Hernandez 