Nike Women- Better For It

On a typical morning, I wake up and while I'm still in bed I check email and social media on my phone. While i'm scrolling through my Facebook news feed I stumble on a boosted video post from the page Nike- Women. It began playing as soon as I stumbled across it. Even without any sound I knew exactly who it was targeting and of course I fell right into that demographic. The commercial entitled, Inner Thoughts, targets women of all races 20-35 years old. It shows women running, at the gym lifting, cycling, and practicing yoga and of course wearing awesome Nike apparel, one even sports a fitness trackers. but unlike your typical athletic advertisement that's full of sweat, exhaustion and perfect bodies, this video touches upon a common fault of many women- the fact that we never fail to compare ourselves to others at the gym.

This ad got me. I know that was their plan all along but I still think it's brilliant for multiple reasons. Firstly, Nike broke the mould. This is not the usual athletic advertisement that showcases body builders relentlessly pushing their limit like they somehow received help from the gods. Instead, these are real women, with real bodies and real thoughts. Secondly, they knew their target audience well. Many athletic products are advertised as if men were the only ones who ever exercised. Countless studies and books discuss the large difference in the brain chemistry of men and women. Women are as competitive as men and men aren't so easily consumed with discouragement when they compare themselves to others. Thirdly, it was timed perfectly. Just as the weather begins to warm up at the start of brand new day, the first thing their female viewers see is the most relatable yet motivational athletic commercial they ever seen and - boom - all of sudden they're inspired to tackle a six mile run! (okay maybe not six...)

Nike Women even came up with their own new, specific tagline, 'Better For It'. This tagline is more motivational and much more fitting for the campaign than Nike's original tagline 'Just Do It'. Only a fitness apparel giants like Under Armor and Adidas have legitimate campaigns for specifically for women but their campaigns don't acknowledge the psychology of women the way Nike has. Under Amour and Adidas certainly aren't breaking the mould with demanding hashtags like #CommitToMore and #EarnYourArmour. Nike's full out campaign has their own website and accounts with all the popular social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, tumblr). With the fitness trend is full swing, its becoming more and more common for women to wear their athletic apparel outside the gym (while still looking good too). There is a huge demand for stylish athletic clothing so this is definitely a campaign to keep a close eye on if you're interested in studying the relationship between advertisements and societal trends.