Discover Nike’s new runner-focused campaign, featuring bold messaging, athlete partnerships, and events around the “Winning Isn’t Comfortable” platform.
Nike is building out its latest campaign, which centers on the ruthless drive it takes to win, with an overture to runners. The sportswear giant’s presence in running traces back to its roots, but it has missed out on the recent boom in running clubs, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, while up-and-comers like Hoka and legacy rivals like Brooks Running have won more market share.
“Winning isn’t Comfortable” takes a hard-edged look at how running can seem miserable, an angle that might resonate with enthusiasts entering the peak of training for marathon season. The campaign spotlights Nike’s Pegasus lineup of running sneakers.
The first video, “Sunshine,” depicts people pelted by rain and wind and trudging through muck on their runs. A gentle version of the lullaby “You Are My Sunshine,” performed by Christina Perri, provides contrast. College basketball player JuJu Watkins appears in the video, which went live Thursday. A second spot, “Morning,” focuses on the dread of waking up to a run.
Two future brand films, “Joy” and “Stairs,” address the difficulty of hitting a progress wall and how walking downstairs following a race can be painful, respectively. Megaforce directed the creative. Nike is also promoting OOH ads on its social channels, which carry over the edgy attitude. “If you don’t hate running a little, you don’t love running enough,” reads one.
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Nike also emphasizes its on-the-ground marketing by hosting events and retail experiences, along with sponsoring upcoming marathons in Shanghai, Chicago and Melbourne. The brand losing sight of its ground game was a focus of the Journal’s report. Running club sessions, running lounges, and workshops factor into Nike’s retail strategy, while the brand’s NRC App, which has an updated logo, is offering a “run beyond plan” to push users out of their comfort zone.
In-your-face messaging is a key piece of “Winning Isn’t for Everyone,” a platform Nike bowed around the Summer Olympics in Paris that is positioned as the company’s boldest brand expression in years. Initial ads feature a roster of iconic athlete ambassadors with voiceover narration by Willem Dafoe, listing off the qualities — especially negative traits, like selfishness and obsession — that made them what they are.
Nike’s Olympics marketing was distinctive but underperformed in certain respects, such as driving brand equity and persuasion, according to a Kantar analysis.
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A return to bolder brand building is part of Nike’s turnaround plan following slumping sales and a massive overswing toward direct-to-consumer channels. Nike saw revenue dip 2% to $12.6 billion in its latest financial quarter, while revenues from Nike Direct, its DTC arm, slid 8%.
