What makes Nike's advertising tick?

Phil Knight, the co-founder and former Chief Executive of Nike, has an absolutely clear and committed

strategy to use celebrity athlete endorsement. He has built Nike’s expansion into sport after sport from its athletics roots on the back of sporting masters. From the beginning Nike has been prepared to take a gamble on sporting bad boys others would not touch. It was a strategy that began with Ilie Nastase, the original tennis bad boy. The Romanian had the quality that has come to represent Nike and its

advertising: attitude. After extraordinary growth, Nike became number one trainer manufacturer in the US. But then it experimented unsuccessfully with expansion into non-athletic shoes, and lost its number one position to Reebok.

Knight bet the future of the company on a new feature: a new air technology inside the trainer. Sales took

off and the rest is history. This brings to globalization and the question of how American the brand can be. Nike uses a mix of global ad campaigns such as ‘good v evil’ and local advertising such as its famous poster campaigns in the UK. Marketing directors at Nike do not rely on market research pre-testing

which often reduces the impact of more experimental commercials. There is also the long relationship

with one of the world’s best ad agencies. Things only happen in Nike ads that sportsmen and women can really do.

How should you plan an advertising campaign?

An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). Advertising campaigns appear in different

media across a specific time frame.

The critical part of making an advertising campaign is determining a campaign theme, as it sets the tone

for the individual advertisements and other forms of marketing communications that will be used. The campaign theme is the central message that will be communicated in the promotional activities.

Taking on your own advertising campaign is no easy task. You can do it on your own but you should be ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Your Marketing Plan

Nothing can help you identify your goals more than your marketing plan. You learn a lot about your

company, your competitors and your long-term goals by creating and following your marketing plan. This is crucial to knowing what type of advertising is best for you.

Create a Plan of Action

Once you have your marketing plan, you must create a plan of action. Your plan of action also gives you

crucial info you can use in executing your ad strategy.

De f in e Your Advertising Budget

How you advertise depends on your ad budget. You need to strategically use your advertising money. If you're only allowing a small portion of money to advertising, you wouldn't want to throw it all into the

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production of one commercial that runs at 2 a.m. Know exactly how much you will spend on your advertising first so you can make wise decisions in the creation and placement of all ad mediums. Hunt for Affordable Opportunities

Running your own ad campaign means you have to be your own media director. You've got to find the best ad placement and the most affordable opportunities to fit into your budget. If you're limited to a very

small budget, you can find many ways to bypass high advertising costs.

K no w Your Target Audience

You can't advertise effectively if you don't hit your target audience. Know who they are before you start creating your ads. If your company sells scooters to seniors, you don't want to invest in cable ads to run

on MTV.

Adv e r tis e in Appropriate Mediums

Of all the different advertising mediums you can use, you have to be able to use these mediums to your benefit. Spending all of your money on a direct mail campaign when your ad dollars would be better

spent on print ads is going to limit how many customers you could've gained. Take a look at each medium, think about your target audience, take a look at your marketing plan and your plan of action and

decide which medium(s) will be best for your ad dollars.

Don' t Be Afraid to Hire Freelancers

If you can't turn your advertising over to an agency, still consider hiring a freelance copywriter and/or graphic designer. These professionals know what makes a good advertisement.

Many freelancers have worked in advertising agencies so you get the benefit of their expertise. Plus, freelancers can give you professional copy and materials at an affordable cost.

Co n sist e nc y is Key

If you're running TV and radio commercials, print ads and a direct mail campaign, keep them consistent.

Use the same announcer and music for your commercials. Print materials should use the same colors and fonts. Use the same tag line. You want to keep everything consistent so your potential customers start identifying your tag line, your colors, your font, your announcer, jingle - everything - that relates to your company's ad campaign.

Freque n cy

Buying space for one radio commercial that airs once at 4:30 in the morning isn't going to get much of a

response. You want commercials to have a larger frequency so you can increase your chances of hitting that target audience. If you're running a direct mail campaign, decide the frequency of your materials up front. Once you send your initial materials out, how many times will you send out follow up materials? Know the answers before you begin to help maximize your strategy's success.

Books

When all else fails and you still run into questions, there are plenty of books you can use to give you

guidance. Also be on the lookout for titles that have just been released so you can keep on top of current advertising trends.