Word of foot marketing: Nike's marketing efforts prior to the "Just Do It" campaign

Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, The Elliott School of Communication"Just Do It." The iconic slogan for Nike is now intrinsic to the Nike brand. The multifaceted slogan, created by Wieden+Kennedy, debuted in 1987, and has been associated with the Nike brand since. As the most highly researched Nike campaign, many key themes about "Just Do It" have been established pertaining to the Nike philosophy, irreverent nature of the advertisements, the focus on branding, the cultural resonance, the image-oriented and emotional advertising techniques, and focus on the consumer needs. The current research study postulates that marketing appeals and key themes associated with the "Just Do It" campaign were employed by Nike prior to the campaign. To evaluate if Nike's marketing tactics appeared prior to the "Just Do It" campaign, numerous primary and secondary sources were analyzed. To evaluate the strategic focus and intent behind Nike's initial grassroots promotions and marketing campaigns preceding the campaign, the study employed a history analysis integrating an interpretation of Nike's marketing and a contextual evaluation of print collateral, television spots, outdoor advertising, and media articles. This study was constructed from a cultural-historical and narrative-analysis and found that many marketing efforts prior to the "Just Do It" campaign paralleled many of the key themes outlined