Marketing to the Younger Generation

Nike launched a new ad campaign in September in Europe “Here I am” to replace the 1988 slogan “Just do it”. This new campaign features the life stories of five top European female athletes. Nike’s new campaign is an example of both segmentation and target marketing. Nike’s aim of promoting to younger women is facilitated by breaking the sportswear market into segments and concentrating on collegiate women. The company used both geographic and demographic segmentation to identify their target market. The inspiration for the ads and slogans developed out of research commissioned by Nike. The research established that European women aren’t as competitive about sports as men. Developing the catchphrase “Here I am” markets specifically to women conveying the message that there is more to sports than getting fit or competing. This enables young women to feel empowered, thus resulting in more sales for Nike. The advertisements include animations of five female athletes. The animations are used to make the female athlete less intimidating, allowing the average woman to relate. This marketing technique attracts younger women who are not very competitive. Self-esteem messages are delivered through the advertisements with the intention of building the confidence in women.

This campaign is innovative, a key to brand building. Years of design and technological innovation are the two main components that have made Nike a strong, favorable, and unique brand image. Like others, Nike is a brand that is recognized by its slogan ‘Just do it’ and has a remarkable identity among its customers. With the new slogan ‘Here I am’, Nike is marketing a new line of women’s clothing, and communicating the value of its products. They are using one of the main tools of marketing: promotion. Using athletic characters such as the tennis star Maria Sharapova, Nike is positioning its product by user, focusing college-age women.

Knowing and understanding their demographic makes the promotion, pricing and distribution of Nike products easier and more cost-effective. Nike’s marketing includes promoting directly to the target by advertising in places that are more likely to be seen by young women, such as the Internet. The company will be placing ads on Facebook, Bebo and other social-networking sites popular with young women. Ads will also appear on video screens in gyms and university student unions across Europe. “Here I am”, the spin-off of the already successful “Just do it”, promises great success for Nike.

Duran Inci

November 7, 2008