Nike had fans running laps (literally) for its new ‘Winning Isn’t For Everyone’ marketing campaign. Its motivational messaging and championed narratives inspired millions from around the world. However, USA Basketball star Kevin Durant, Forbes, and many others weren’t as impressed with the campaign, sparking controversy amidst the biggest stage of competition. How did Nike resolve the friction with one of its greatest athletes, and what strategies transcended the brand head and shoulders above its hyper-competitive peers? This marketing case study explores Nike's ‘Winning Isn’t for Everyone’ campaign, it’s marketing strategy, and how it reinforced the brand's dominance in the sports world.
The brightest stage deserves the best of the best, and Nike rolled out its biggest campaign of the year just in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Along with supplying gear to several countries, Nike has diversified its athlete portfolio to more than the its United States market. With athletes spanning from Norway, France, Japan, Spain, among several others, Nike has elevated its brand image by sponsoring the biggest athletes on the brightest stage.
Nike’s latest campaign cherishes the aura of seizing an Olympic gold medal by headinling, “Winning Isn’t for Everyone. It’s for Those Who Do Whatever it Takes.” Not only is this incredible short-form copy, it perfectly captures the build up and anticipation of athletes working towards a prized achievement they have been training their entire life for. Whether it’s Cole Hocker overcoming all odds to win the 1500m final, or LeBron James leading the Men’s Basketball team to another gold medal at 39 years old, Nike athletes are not normal, and for good reason. The proof is in the pudding, and these athletes will go to incredible lengths to achieve the impossible.
Nike debuted its campaign with a omni-channel video series featuring its greatest athletes answering the one question, “Am I a bad person?” The brand’s series began with former Nike athlete, Kobe Bryant, and soon spread to others like LeBron James, Sha’Carri Richardson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and many others. Nike’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Nicole Graham, delivered the purpose of Nike’s summer campaign by stating,
"This is about celebrating the voice of the athlete...It's a story about what it takes to be the best. The legacies that have yet to be shaped. And the dreams that will be made real. It reminds the world that there's nothing wrong about wanting to win."
This celebration of athletes is fused within an multi-channel content strategy ranging from short and long form copy, video, social media clips, billboards, and more. Nike’s unapologetic campaign is all about winning, and capitalizing on great performances. No matter which sport you love, Nike is there - and there to take the gold, all the time.
"Nike’s story starts with the athlete story. It always has. And it always will. ‘Winning Isn’t for Everyone’ shows that anyone can be a winner, if they are willing to do what it takes.” - Nichole Graham
While Nike has little to no problem of making its mark on the world of sports, it can also work against them if one of their own is on the other side of the waves. Unfortunately, Nike’s ‘Winning Isn’t For Everyone’ campaign caught the attention of Kevin Durant, creating a ripple effect that disrupted Nike’s campaign at the height of the Olympics. How did this happen?
During the initial launch, Nike focused its marketing efforts on its marquee athletes across several sports, not just men's basketball. However, when it came time to select the athlete for men’s basketball, Nike went with the obvious choice by selecting Lifelong athlete, LeBron James. After being with Nike for over 21 years and having a building named after him on Nike’s global campus in Oregon, James was the perfect fit to promote Nike’s newest campaign.
Durant’s response to Nike’s decision was an Instagram story with the caption, “Nike tell me, am I a bad person?” Reaching over 13.5 million followers in minutes, Durant has one of the biggest voices in basketball, and his one story would have the world in question over Nike’s 17-year relationship with the Phoenix Suns superstar.
Yes, Nike could have easily added in Kevin Durant into this role, and Durant was aware of this. With the most decorated resume in USA Basketball history, Durant has won four gold medals (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024; all time gold medal leader for USAB), scored over 500+ points (all time scoring leader), and has accumulated the highest points per game average (18.5 PPG), field goals made (173), field goals attempted (326), 3-pointers (88), and free throws (82) via Basketnews.
Had Nike included Durant in its advertisements, they would need to add Devin Booker, another Nike athlete. From there, Nike would need to extend this invitation to Anthony Davis, then Bam Adebayo, then Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and so on and so forth. Nike would run out of room rather quickly, and needed to save that room for other athletes like A’ja Wilson, Sha’Carri Richardson, and others.
Despite Durant being left out of the initial launch, Nike made a crucial, and wildly successful, marketing comeback by celebrating Durant’s all-time leading olympic scorer achievement. Nike celebrated by making a billboard with Durant with its viral copy that read,
“Is KD a Bad Person? No, He’s the BADDEST.”
Talk about turning a negative into a positive.
This marketing deliverable recovered any miscommunications with Durant, and certainly stomped any rumors of a sour relationship between Durant and Nike - the ultimate win-win. Sports Marketing Consultant and former Nike Executive, Jordan Rogers, explained this perfectly in a recent video on his Instagram. If you’re a fan of sports marketing and Kevin Durant, give him a follow - you won’t regret it.
The ‘Winning Isn’t For Everyone” campaign is more than just a mini-series of professional athletes, its about setting the gold standard in both athletics and sports marketing. Nike implemented an omni-channel strategy that has a proven track record of succeeding amidst the harshest conditions.
- Partnerships with Multiple Countries: Nike expanded its sponsorships beyond the US to other countries like Canada, China, Kenya, Germany, Uganda, and basketball apparel for China, France, Japan, and Spain for several reasons. With more athletes and countries being suited head-to-toe in Nike gear, Nike exposes itself to 30.6 million viewers while exponentially increasing its screentime. The more time Nike has on television over its competing brands, the more its brand ethos, revenue, and market share surges.- Championed Short-form Content: Video reigned supreme during the 2024 Olympics. With over 7000+ hours of coverage during this three-week window, this played a crucial role in Nike’s marketing blueprint. Between YouTube, Instagram, X, TikTok, Snapchat, and other social platforms, Nike didn’t leave any shortage of content, capitalizing off every moment possible. Broken record? Got that. A Nike athlete got gold medal? Got that too. Catching the defining moments of one of the greatest performances in Men’s Basketball history? Wouldn’t miss it for the world.
- New Branding and Style: The most visible change Nike made during its summer campaign was revamping its brand image with the new ‘Electric’ color scheme. Nike opted out of its typical black and white logo for its new neon yellow and orange background. The new colorway was leveraged through its ‘Electric Pack’ which features shoes, apparel, and accessories in Nike’s new look - leaving an unforgettable impression worn by athletes, business professionals, the average joes, and everyone in between.
- Unity Through Winning: The bow that ties this campaign together is Nike’s effort to unite the world through winning. The universal feeling has helped athletes accumulate millions of dollars, dozens of medals, and an unbreakable spirit. From 16-year-old track athlete, Quincy Wilson, to LeBron James, who turns 40 in December, winning unites every athlete at the 2024 Summer Olympics - and will remain that way for as long as we know it.
Kevin Durant wasn’t the only happy camper surrounding this marketing campaign. In fact, Forbes gathered around this story by writing an insightful article over Nike’s campaign, and how a negative outlook can drastically shift the brand’s messaging, ethos, and narrative heading into the Summer Olympics. Forbes highlights many key statistics such as Nike’s falling revenue and providing important opinions from the press and Nike executives such as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Matthew Friend. Forbes gives a sound argument, no doubt. However, warping Nike’s original message to create a compelling article takes a hit at the multi-billion-dollar sportswear brand.
To clear the air, Nike is absolutely right - winning isn’t for everyone. In fact, its only for the select few, especially as it pertains to the highest level of competition during the Olympics. Nike isn’t shy about its ‘Everyone is an Athlete’ claim, and even more so with ‘Winning isn’t for Everyone’ campaign. Yes, everyone can compete, but not everyone can win. Athletes must train harder than ever before to become champions like never before.
Controversy among Nike athletes and global media companies couldn’t stop Nike from corporately disrupting the olympics this summer. Despite other brands like Adidas and Puma making their mark in Paris, Nike was undisputedly the clear favorite when it came to athlete representation, country partnerships, and Olympic merchandise. In addition, Nike’s campaign went beyond its omni-channel strategy when its athletes would win a gold medal in their respected sport. From Jakob Ingebrigtsen winning the 5000m race, to Scottie Schleffler adding a gold medal to his 2024 bingo card, Nike athletes were everywhere throughout the olympics. Fans didn’t have a hard time finding them either. More often than not, Nike athletes would consistently find themselves on the podium - holding gold.
Nike laced up a marketing strategy that leveraged a corporate rebrand, hundreds of short-form videos, and dozens of their marquee athletes to prize one of the greatest campaigns the brand has ever produced. Its motivational messaging left its fans ready to take the track and race in the 100m, compete against France in the men’s basketball gold medal game, or reach for the nearest skateboard and recreate Nyjah Houston’s newest moves. Truth is, everyone is an athlete, but not everyone is a winner. You have to do whatever it takes to compete at the highest stakes, make no mistakes, and finally, cherish the victorious moment as crowds quake. But while Nike reigned at the Paris Olympics, the race is far from over - there is no finish line.