Named after the goddess of victory, Nike, Inc. has spent the better part of 50 years establishing its reputation in the design and development of athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories. Perhaps known primarily for its footwear products, the company enjoyed over $24 billion in revenue in its fiscal year 2012.
Nike is known as one of the most valuable brands in sports businesses, with an evaluated worth of $10.7 billion. The combination of its minimalistic logo, instantly recognizable “just do it” slogan, and its perpetuation in sports culture have served as platforms for the brand’s rhetoric and led to its titanic modern status.
Ethos (Authority)
Much of Nike’s branding stems from its authority as a sports brand, driven primarily by numerous celebrity athlete sponsorships. Nike products are proudly displayed by internationally known athletes (who are paid millions of dollars to display them), which instills a sense of credibility in the brand. When an audience sees highly successful athletes wearing Nike brand apparel, the reputation of the company is instantly solidified.
Nike has also helped build its Ethos by participating in a number of charitable endeavors, including the RED campaign with American Express to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child. The existence of Nike sweatshops has damaged the brand’s Ethos, but naturally these allegations are not present in Nike’s marketing campaigns.
Pathos (Emotion)
Nike’s slogan, “just do it,” instills a fiery sense of motivation and the avoidance of hesitation and regret. This helps build inspired emotions in its audience, and might also have a subtle secondary use of getting people to “just buy the product.”
Additionally, Nike launched a “real women” advertising campaign targeted toward empowering women. The advertisements focused on presenting women in a non-objectifying way, and helped instill an increased level of respect and sympathy from their target audience. This compounds with Nike’s traditional advertising, demonstrating athletes mid-performance to help conjure desire for an adrenaline rush, and to associate Nike apparel with athletic performance.
Logos (Logic)
Nike does little to logically convince its audience that its products are the best on the market. If there are statistics on the improved athletic performance Nike products may or may not be able to offer, they don’t appear in many—or any—Nike advertisements.
Most of Nike’s power as a brand stems from its powerful Ethos, which draws on the status of celebrity athletes for perpetuation. Complemented by a minimalistic and motivating slogan, the company forms a credible authority as a sports icon and continues to see success.
