What Does Defeat Sound Like? ☠️

I worked in brand marketing at Nike for years. People often ask me, “What's your favorite Nike ad of all time?”
While there are many, here's one that you probably have never thought about, but it occupies space in my brain on a weekly basis because it can teach us all about Marketing & Storytelling.

In 2009, Nike was getting serious about American football and Adrian Peterson was a nightmare for defenses.

The core DNA of Nike is an extremely competitive nature who wants to beat you at all costs. It's why the pantheon of Nike athletes includes Jordan, Kobe, Tiger, Serena, John McEnroe, and others who want to WIN no matter what. This has been taken to it’s logical extreme more often than we care to remember: Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Alberto Salazar & Nike’s now infamous Oregon Project.
I love & hate my competitive nature. It’s driven me far in life, but without checks & balances it can get out of control. I don’t play to play, I play to Win. Losing makes me physically nauseous. I often wish it weren’t this way, but alas it’s who I am. And I am not alone.
Deep under the fun commercials and ads, is the red thread of Nike: WINNING & a Killer Instinct. And this is what connects with many people like me, because I feel understood.

If you're a serious competitor or a big sports fan, you know one of the greatest sounds in all of sports…a quiet away crowd.

I got to experience the ecstasy of this a couple of weeks ago as Luka silenced Minnesota crowd… and now the shoe is on the other foot as Boston dominated my hometown Mavericks in the Finals. 😑

Nike's new soccer campaign, ‘Awaken Your Madness’ has me reminiscing about a David Fincher directed commercial featuring Adrian Peterson. David Fincher did many Nike commercials, but in 2009 he did his last.

David Fincher, the legendary director of Seven, Fight Club, and Social Network is a master of storytelling. He pays close attention to the sound in his films. He’s found a formula collaborating with Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame) and Atticus Ross to develop a sound that has earned an Academy Award for The Social Network. Reznor said they created an “undercurrent of terrror”, which is exactly what Fincher did for Football in his Nike finale.

The premise of this ad was like a horror film. Adrian Peterson coming in to terrorize an away crowd. It contains extremely ominous music, cheerleaders devastated, fans upset, other players afraid & exhausted, and there's absolute silence & dread in the stadium.
Horror films all contain one thing: the threat of death.
If you’re a sports fan, you know this drama well. If you’re not, this all seems a bit melodramatic…and you’re not the target.
But as marketers, we should pick our audience, then obsess their experiences. For football: what does winning sound like on the road? What do cleats sound like on concrete walking to the field of play? The answer is “Click Clack”, maybe the last great thing Under Armour did.

This is deep, rich storytelling that helps your audience feel known and understood. Great creative helps us make sense of the world. On it’s best days, Nike gets this.

When Phil Knight was asked what the goal of Nike was early on, he said,
“I would search my mind and heart, and the only thing I could come up with was this word—“winning.” It wasn’t much, but it was far, far better than the alternative. Whatever happened, I just didn’t want to lose.
Losing was death.”

Education:
I’m teaming up with the Avengers of Marketing & Branding!
@OrenMeetsWorld, @Shwinnebago, @BimmaWilliams and I will go LIVE again on Instagram Friday at 11a CST.
Join Us.

Blessings:
It’s Men’s Mental Health Awareness month.
Here’s my most vulnerable public moment- sharing my story of Addiction, Incarceration & Recovery for the first time in 2017.
I hope it can bless you in some way.