Nike Communication Strategy

Nike is a sportswear apparel, equipment, and accessories manufacturing American multinational brand. Bill Bowerman and Phill Knight started the sportswear company in 1964. Today, we’ll discuss Nike communication strategy or Nike marketing communication strategy; and the elements involved in the integrated marketing communication strategy of Nike; advertising, direct marketing, digital marketing, personal selling, public relations, and sales promotions; as brand communication strategy examples.

Nike Products and services

• Casualwear
• Apparel and clothes
• Athletic Wear
• Footwear and shoes
• Leisure
• Sports Equipment
• Sports Accessories

Subsidiary brands of Nike

• Skateboarding Nike
• Nike CR7
• Converse
• Air Max
• Nike Golf
• Foamposite
• Nike Blazers
• Air Force 1
• Nike Dunk
• Air Jordan
• Nike Pro
• Nike+

Statistical facts and figures of Nike

• Annual revenue – 51.22 billion USD (2023)
• Net income – 5.97 billion USD (2023)
• Employees – 84000
• Asset net worth – 37.53 billion USD (2023)

Top competitors of Nike

• New Balance
• Puma
• VF Corporation
• Lululemon
• Anta
• Under Armour
• ASICS
• Adidas

Nike communication strategy would analyze the elements of the Integrated marketing communication plan of Nike like direct marketing, advertising, digital marketing, sales promotion, PR public relations, and personal selling as brand communication strategy examples. Here’s the integration communication strategy of Nike as follows;

Nike Communication Strategy

Let’s discuss the main elements of Nike communication strategy or integration marketing communication strategy of Nike as brand communication strategy examples; they’re as follows;

Advertising Strategy of Nike

I-Innovative & Creative Ads

Nike has earned a reputation for running creative and innovative advertisement campaigns. According to an estimate, the sportswear brand invested approximately 3.031 billion USD in the “demand creation” advertisement campaign of the company for two years in 2016.

II-Best Advertisement Awards

The unique and innovative advertisements of Nike have earned several awards from the company for its ads campaigns. Some of them are as follows;

• Advertiser of the Year Award by Cannes Advertising Festival in 1994 and 2003
• Emmy Award for Best Commerical in 2000 and 2002

III-Emotional Element

Nike’s advertisement campaign targets the instinctive emotions of humans and their focus is on achievement, actualization, pride, ambition, and actualization. The emotional storytelling ads help the company to connect with the customers at a personal level. However, some of the main emotional advertisement campaigns and inspirational, motivational, and greatness quotes are as follows;

• “My better is better than your better”
• “All you have to do is pick up your feet”
• “Don’t believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody”
• “We gave up giving up”
• “Dream Crazy”
• “Equality”

The objective of Nike emotional and inspirational story advertisements is to motivate people to fight off their personal challenges and they could win in the end.

Direct Marketing Strategy of Nike

I-Celebrity Endorsement

Nike collaborates with various world’s leading sports celebrities and it is the key element of the company’s marketing strategy. The most famous example of a company’s celebrity endorsement is of the basketball legend “Michael Jordan” in 1984. However, the high-profile sports celebrity brand endorsement further strengthens the company’s brand position and attracts the attention of a lot of new customers.

Some of the main sports celebrities that Nike has worked with over the years are as follows;

• Sebastian Coe
• Carl Lewis
• Jackie Joyner-Kersee
• Michael Johnson
• Allyson Felix
• Michael Jordan
• Lionel Messi
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Zlatan Ibrahimović
• Ronaldo
• Ronaldinho
• Francesco Totti
• Roger Federer
• Rafael Nadal
• Serena Williams
• Maria Sharapova

II-Sponsorships

Nike has sponsored various mega sporting events worldwide. They have a huge crowd and they’re the center of the attention of everyone across the globe. The sponsorship of such mega events helps the company to emotionally connect with the customer market. Some of the main events that the company has sponsored over the years are as follows;

• Premier League since 2000–01 season
• Asian Football Confederation since 2012
• Manchester United after the 2014–15 season
• Indian cricket team from 2005 to 2020
• FC Barcelona
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Liverpool

III-Inclusive & Sustainability

Nike is highly cautious about the social and environmental sustainability of its products and brand marketing. The objective of the company is to develop eco-friendly sportswear products promote social responsibility and align it with the company’s values and mission. The sportswear brand has taken various steps to decrease the carbon emission rate; the company plans to achieve a zero-carbon emission rate in its entire value and supply chain network.

Digital Marketing Strategy of Nike

I-Social Media Channels

Nike is highly active on various social and digital media channels and platforms. For instance, the sportswear brand has roundabout more than 300 social media profiles. The company employs all the possible digital media platforms and exploits every opportunity to connect with online users across the world. According to an estimate, Nike has a market share of approximately 27.4% in the global sportswear industry.

II-Network and Followers

Nike has established a wide network of followers over multiple social media platforms. The sportswear brand shares interesting content to connect and engage with online users. In order to amplify its network, Nike collaborates with various social media influencers to target customers in a specific region and precise niche.

• TikTok – 3.1 million (2023)
• YouTube – 1.71 million (2023)
• Reddit – 568k (2023)
• Facebook – 36 million (2023)
• Twitter – 9.58 million (2023)
• LinkedIn – 5 million (2023)

III-Supporting Social Causes Campaigns

Nike has supported and endorsed various social causes’ campaigns on digital media channels; some of them are as follows;

• “What you are working on” – video series on YouTube
• “Stopping Asian Hate” – Twitter X
• “Black Lives Matter” – Twitter X
• “Nella Rose” – collaboration on Instagram

Sales Promotion Strategy of Nike

In order to boost sales and create demand for its products, Nike launches various types of marketing and sale promotional campaigns. It allows the sportswear brand to attract the attention of new customers and retain the existing ones. Some of the sales promotional campaigns of Nike are as follows;

• Special event offer
• Discount code for the lucky customers
• Limited time offer
• Discounts
• Seasonal offer

Public Relations Strategy of Nike

The public relations PR strategy of Nike helps the company to amplify its positive brand image and strengthen its relationship with loyal customers. Some of the key elements of the company’s PR strategies are as follows;

• Influencer marketing
• Celebrity endorsement
• Word-of-mouth-marketing
• Community development programs
• Donations
• Anti-discrimination programs
• Contributing in charities

Personal Selling Strategy of Nike

The personal selling approach allows the sportswear brand Nike to have one-on-one interaction with the customers and helps them to experience the shoes and product physically. This element plays a key role in earning the trust and confidence of customers and amplifies the satisfaction level with the product.

Conclusion: Nike Marketing Communication Plan | Integrated Marketing Communication of Nike | Brand Communication Strategy Examples 

After an in-depth study of the Nike communication strategy; we have realized that the marketing and promotional mix of Nike plays a key role in its growth and success. If you are learning about the integrated marketing communication plan of Nike as a brand communication strategy example; then you should keep in mind the abovementioned elements; personal selling, digital marketing, direct advertisement, sales promotion, PR, and direct marketing.