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xportJessica Hartley
Case Study Research
30 September 2013
Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” Campaign
Situational Analysis
In accordance to the 2012 Summer Olympics, Nike Inc., an athletic based American
national corporation launched a global campaign entitled “Find Your Greatness.” This campaign
was developed to be a reminder that you do not have to be a championship athlete to strive to
excel on your own terms, to set personal goals, or to achieve your own moment of greatness. So
while the world was focused on the greatest living athletes, Nike was using “Find Your
Greatness” to celebrate the everyday ones. It was intended to ignite conversation around how
athletes everywhere find their own greatness, and then using that as a way to motivate everyone
to push themselves, as well as succeed on their own terms. Greg Hoffman, Nike VP of Brand
Design & Communications, said that the main idea behind this campaign was to, “inspire and
energize everyday athletes everywhere to celebrate their achievements, participate and enjoy the
thrill of achieving in sport at their own level” (Nike, Inc, 2012).
Nike lost the chance to be the official sponsor of the 2012 Summer Olympics to their
biggest competitor, Adidas (K.,2013). The “Find Your Greatness” campaign was developed as a
way to compensate for all of the exposure and perks of being an official sponsor that they had
lost. It focused on creating an emotional connection with the Nike brand across all age groups,
countries, sports, and environments. It would take focus away from the dazzle of the Olympics
by focusing on the fact that no matter where you play, your greatness is not any less important.
Nike glorifying the everyday athlete and pulling on the public’s heartstrings could then improve
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perception of the brand. Ultimately, it could put Nike in a position to where they could convert
the awareness they had generated into sales.
Plans & Strategies To Achieve Goals
Many plans and strategies would have to be developed to achieve the goals of the “Find
Your Greatness” campaign. First and foremost, the established target audience was decided to be
anyone with the desire to find their own personal greatness. The majority of this audience was
not comprised of the type of athlete that Nike traditionally aims for. So to connect with this
group, Nike would have to implement a new strategy that involved focusing on average people
instead of the championship athletes it usually shows (Kelson, 2012). This meant that they would
have to use average people in their campaign to inspire consumers. This type of strategy can also
be seen in Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign.
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Works Cited
K., K. (2013, June 26). Nike's find your greatness marketing campaign. Retrieved from
http://www.hotcourses.com.my/study-abroad-info/subject-info/nikes-find-your-greatnessmarketing-campaign/
Katz, D. (2012, August 14). Nike's notion of greatness, and the road not taken . Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/find-your-greatnessnike_b_1776298.html
Kelson, B. (2012, October 17). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://kelsonmedia.blogspot.
com /2012_10_01_archive.html
Macleod, D. (2012, August 2). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://theinspirationroom.com
/daily/2012/nike-find-your-greatness/
Nike, Inc. (2012, July 25). Nike launches "find your greatness" campaign. Retrieved from
http://nikeinc.com/news/nike-launches-find-your-greatness-campaign-celebratinginspiration-for-the-everyday-athlete
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Jessica Hartley
Case Study Action, Communication, & Evaluation Paper
23 October 2013
Action, Communication, & Evaluation Paper: Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” Campaign
Action
The objective of the 2012 Nike “Find Your Greatness” campaign was to be a reminder
that you do not have to be a championship athlete to strive to excel on your own terms, to set
personal goals, or to achieve your own moment of greatness. Greg Hoffman, Nike VP of Brand
Design & Communications, said that the main idea behind the campaign was to, “inspire and
energize everyday athletes everywhere to celebrate their achievements, participate and enjoy the
thrill of achieving in sport at their own level” (Nike, Inc, 2012). The goals set by the campaign
included a number, as well variety of things. One was to ignite conversation around how athletes
everywhere find their own greatness, and then using that as a way to motivate everyone to push
themselves, as well as succeed on their own terms. Another goal was to compensate for all of the
exposure and perking of being an official sponsor of the Olympics, which they had lost to
competing brand, Adidas. This then led to their goals of creating an emotional connection with
the Nike brand across all age groups, countries sports, and environments, as well as improving
perception of the brand. Lastly, they wanted to convert the awareness that they had generated in
to sales.
Proactive Strategies
The “Find Your Greatness” campaign implemented many strategies to achieve their set
goals and objectives. Nike faced a great obstacle; they could not mention the Olympic event
itself, due to not being an official sponsor. To overcome this, they implemented a foundation that
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would apply to all campaign strategies, and assist in compensating for the Olympic sponsorship
loss: take focus away from the dazzle of the Olympics by focusing on the average athletes, and
make them believe their greatness is not any less important. They planned to ignite conversation
by utilizing particular social media forms and outlets that could best convey their unique
message. Nike needed their social media platforms to possess qualities such as the ability to be
easily shared and interpreted, a place where individuals can connect with one another on a person
level, giving way for emotional connections with the brand, and that can also generate sales.
Nike also strategized by implementing major factors, such as the exact time of the campaign
launch and postings. Most importantly, they planned to change their focus to a target audience
much different than the one they predominantly market to, the average, nonathletic athletes that
need motivation and encouragement the most.
Lastly, they strategized a way to make the title of official Olympic sponsor seem
somewhat irrelevant, or nonexistent. They set out to achieve this by finding ways to have their
footwear worn by the Olympic athletes without breaking the Olympics’ strict rules pertaining to
the rights of the official sponsor, Adidas. Doing this would allow them to still generate a sense of
social media presence at the summer games. This would be made realistic by having the athletes
wear their footwear during medal ceremonies, or around London during the games, but never
having them set foot on a track.
Communication
Tactics
To handle their organizational media, Nike enlisted American creative advertising agency
Wieden + Kennedy, Portland to develop, present, and promote their message for the “Find Your
Greatness” campaign. They used a series of commercials and short film documentaries that were
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capable of stimulating emotional appeals to its audience. They all took place in the “Londons”
around the world, rather than at the 2012 Olympics in London (Macleod, 2012). The videos
would share different stories of average athletes pushing their limits to find their own greatness,
and each one had its own awe-inspiring sense of motivation. The logic behind them was to
provide testimonials that demonstrated the idea that no matter your playing field, your greatness
holds the same importance as that of the Olympics (Katz, 2012). Most importantly, these films
and commercials would be broadcasted on social media and digital channels as the campaign’s
centerpiece.
The “Find Your Greatness” campaign was designed to utilize a variety of social and
digital media outlets and channels. The commercials and films that functioned as its centerpiece
were broadcasted on numerous digital media outlets, as well as television, but most prominently,
a YouTube channel in which they created to solely contain a playlist of them. Wieden +
Kennedy also heighted the campaign’s reach by globally generating a promoted hashtag on
Twitter, #findyourgreatness. This hashtag assisted in igniting conversation and sharing personal
and emotional content based on how average athletes find their greatness. To further pull on the
public’s heartstrings, they developed an online motivational hub, nike.com/gameworld, which
provided a place in which anyone can share their stories of personal progress, trials, and
successes, etc. through a series of tools and digital services designed specifically for the site
(Nike, Inc, 2012). This is what the campaign utilized to generate motivation and inspiration, but
also to help the audience be able to visualize themselves in the campaign.
Evaluation
The majority of the goals and objectives set by Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” campaign could be
achieved. They were able to ignite conversation, create a global emotional connection to the
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brand, heighten brand perception, and increase sales from generate awareness. This can be seen
in these message exposure and engagement statistics, especially when compared to those of
official Olympic sponsor and competitor, Adidas.
Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” vs. Adidas’ “Take the Stage”
 Online Mentions:

Nike- 59,000

Adidas- 26,000

Nike- 16,000

Adidas- 19,000
 Tweets:
 Facebook Follower Growth:

Nike- 11%

Adidas- 4%
 YouTube Views:

Nike- 5 million

Adidas- 3.2 Million
 Percentage of Americans Identifying the Brands as a Sponsor:

Nike- 37%

Adidas- 27 %
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Works Cited
K., K. (2013, June 26). Nike's find your greatness marketing campaign. Retrieved from
http://www.hotcourses.com.my/study-abroad-info/subject-info/nikes-find-yourgreatness-marketing-campaign/
Katz, D. (2012, August 14). Nike's notion of greatness, and the road not taken . Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/find-your-greatnessnike_b_1776298.html
Kelson, B. (2012, October 17). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://kelsonmedia.blogspot. com /2012_10_01_archive.html
Macleod, D. (2012, August 2). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://theinspirationroom.com /daily/2012/nike-find-your-greatness/
Nike, Inc. (2012, July 25). Nike launches "find your greatness" campaign. Retrieved from
http://nikeinc.com/news/nike-launches-find-your-greatness-campaign-celebratinginspiration-for-the-everyday-athlete
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Jessica Hartley
Case Study Evaluation Paper
30 October 2013
Evaluation of Case Organization’s Efforts: Nike’s “Find Your Greatness”
Overview
There are numerous aspects of a case study to cover when conducting an evaluation of it.
This evaluation/critique of Nike’s 2012 “Find Your Greatness” campaign is based on my own
personal opinions. Before I begin, I would like to note something that I did not realize until after
completing the ACE paper, but yet it is something that I find to be extremely important, as well
as intriguing within this campaign. My realization was that Nike, in regards to the Olympic
sponsorship, shared the same role as the audience in which it was targeting. Due to Adidas
claiming the title as Olympic sponsor, Nike was the average, the inferior, the one lacking
greatness. This in a sense mirrors its target audience because it is comprised of average,
everyday athletes. They were trying to motivate and encourage average individuals to find their
own greatness, but through this campaign, Nike was motivated itself to find its own.
Evaluation of Campaign Foundations
Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” did an outstanding job in developing and implementing
this campaign. One of the key foundational components was that they took target audience
diversity into consideration when designing its communication strategy. Another key was that
they practiced ethical principles throughout each step. This can be seen in the credibility of the
qualifications and positions that they claimed, their honestly and respect of opponents, as well as
in their overall message being solely positive. While researching its foundations, I discovered
that the “ethical principle” aspect of virtue directly ties into this campaign. The definition of
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virtue is stated as “moral excellence—positive traits or qualities deemed to be morally good and
thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are
characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness. This campaign
repetitively implements all of these things, solidifying its practice of ethical principles.
Lastly, the foundation consists of the use of communication theories throughout the
campaign. There were six that I believed to be used, including: agenda setting, social cognitive
theory, framing, social network theory, social presence theory, and the Marshall McLuhan
theory. Upon reading the definitions of these theories, it was immediately noticeable as to how
they are implemented. While they all have an important role within the campaign, the one that
seemed to be the most prominent in my opinion was the Marshall McLuhan theory. This is
because according to the theorist, “the medium is the message,” and upon researching the “Find
Your Greatness” campaign, I quickly learned the medium was its sole benefactor in success.
Personal Campaign Additions & Removals
After researching and evaluating Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” campaign, I found very
few things that I thought they add or delete. Prior to reading through countless article reviews of
the campaign, there was not one portion of “Find Your Greatness” that I viewed as being
demeaning, or that I thought should be deleted or altered to reconstruct the campaign message’s
image. I then discovered that there was only one aspect that the media criticized throughout the
entire campaign. This criticism was based on its use of a 200lb kid in one of their videos, which
the media labeled as “exploiting fat people.” To prevent this, I think that the campaign should
have included, as well as include in the future, videos updating the audience on the original
forerunners of the campaign. This is because those individuals were the face of the campaign, the
ones that the audience produced an emotional connection with, as well as looked up to, and the
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campaign has not given them proof of success at this point. The 200lb boy used in one of the
videos that the media viewed as “exploiting fat people” had lost 30lbs as of March 2013. By
providing evidence that they are still continuing this journey on a successful path, I feel as if it
might eliminate much of this particular criticism. Childhood obesity is a real problem in
American today, and Nike portrayed to its audience the truth, not exploitation.
Posting follow-up videos include many more benefits that just assisting in downplaying
exploitation criticism. After a period of time, an inspirational follow-up could greatly help
regenerate motivation in individuals, as well as awareness as a whole. Currently. The
motivational hubs are still being accessed and used daily by their target audiences, as well as
experience growth, so this campaign needs some type of periodical promotions to continue the
campaign. Also, to aid in prolonging an active audience, they might consider posting videos of
individuals who have already achieved their personal greatness. Comparable to the chronological
video journeys used in fitness infomercials, these videos would be similar to a documentary
style. This provides the audience with a real-life experience that they can view as a whole, but in
a condensed time period. This way they have immediate proof that finding your own greatness is
possible.
The “Find Your Greatness” campaign did not need much critiquing, in my opinion. There
may be a few changes that could be implemented for regenerating motivation and awareness, and
to help eliminate criticism pertaining to the campaign exploiting of overweight individuals.
Every campaign will always have room for improvement, but Nike almost perfected it.
Evaluation of Campaign Effectiveness & Success/Failure
Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” campaign was undoubtedly a success. Its original purpose
was to encourage conversation around how athletes everywhere could find their own greatness.
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The initial goal set by the campaign was to inspire an emotional connection to the Nike brand
across all age groups, countries, sports, and environments, all while generating growth in sales.
The campaign’s effectiveness can be best seen and proven in its numbers. They soon dominated
every category in which they were compared to Adidas (numbers extracted from timespan of the
Summer 2012 Olympics), such as online mentions, Facebook follower growth, YouTube views,
and percentage of Americans identifying the brand as a sponsor, just to name a few.
The campaign’s original goals were successfully achieved. It improved perception of the
brand, fostered admiration for the athlete, and it pulled on the heartstrings of the public. These
three things, along with many other goals in which they achieved, gave way for the ability to
enhance their position to convert the awareness that the campaign had generated into sales. The
“Find Your Greatness” campaign is currently still in effect, captivating and receiving the
participation of individuals around the globe. This campaign was not merely successful in its
initial active timeline, but rather it has remained successful and it has no sign of slowing down.
What/Who Can Learn From Campaign
There are a variety of things that can be learned from analyzing Nike’s “Find Your
Greatness” campaign. This knowledge can be fitting for many individuals, organizations, and
businesses. Some examples of who would most benefit from the campaign, in my opinion,
include: weight loss and fitness programs, an individual pursuing a degree in marketing, a main
title holder of a business/organization, its competition, those who do not fill a dominant position
(when companies lose to competition, individual loses campaign, etc.), sports teams of all ages
and playing levels, and anyone wanting to emphasize fitness and motivation, etc.
The ones included in the list above, have an opportunity to learn a number of things from
this campaign as a whole. Some of the most prominent things that Nike instills include that there
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is always a way to overcome your obstacles, do not admit defeat when you initially do not meet
your goals (example: when Nike was beat out as sponsor of the 2012 Olympics by their main
competition, Adidas.) Instead, Nike demonstrates how important it is to become creative in
stepping outside the boundaries when formulating campaign strategies. This was seen when they
had athletes wear Nike brand footwear during the award ceremonies and around London,
because Olympic law states that only the sponsor’s apparel is allowed on the track. Also, how
they took the fact that they could not legally use “Olympics” in the campaign; they decided to
base it around the world’s “Londons.” They teach their audience that there are ways to overcome
obstacles set in front of you, and to also be the most dominant.
Nike also implements the changes in social media throughout the campaign. This might
possibly be the most important thing to pay attention to and learn from throughout the entire
campaign. They reiterate that prime time is no longer needed to create buzz. Instead, the use of
unorthodox approaches, such as the innovative use of social media and PR campaigns, give way
to unpredictable opportunities that social media now offers to globalize a market-specific
campaign. One way Nike implemented this was by indirectly capitalizing on the amount of
coverage the Olympics was due to receive. Nike did an excellent job of demonstrating these new
ideas and strategies that many can now learn from.
Potential Platform Associations with Campaign
There are multiple organizations, businesses, companies, and even individuals who could
build or associate their platforms to this campaign. This specific campaign would be great to tie
in with any other platform that deal with promoting weight lose/getting healthy and self-esteem,
as well as coaches requiring hub posts on their story, or even an alternate athletic company that is
owned by Nike.
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The organization that I found to be most fitting to use this in their platform was that of
the National Association of Self-Esteem (NASE). The definition of Self-Esteem states “an
experience of being capable of meeting life’s challenges and being worthy of happiness.” NASE
claims that their purpose is to integrate self-esteem into the fabric of American society so every
individual, no matter their age or background, experiences personal worth and happiness. Also,
they believe in personal responsibilities and accountability. This type of organization seemed
fitting to me, because the majority of the “Find Your Greatness” campaign is pertaining to the
development of one’s self-esteem/self-image.
There were several organizations that promote awareness pertaining to obesity in
America that I found fitting to use this campaign in their platform. This type of organization fits,
because the “Find Your Greatness” campaign is all about becoming physically active to find
your greatest athletic/active self. One of the organizations that I found fitting was Shape Up
America!, which claims that their purpose is to educate the public on the importance of the
achievement and maintenance of a healthy body weight thru the adoption of physical activity in
both adults and children. In my opinion, any company that’s basis is similar to these guidelines
could have great potential using this campaign in their platforms. Other basic ideas of who could
build/incorporate this in their platform include: elementary schools, high schools, colleges, work
places, gyms/after school programs, promotional organizations, etc.
Knowledge Gained From Personal Experience As Whole
Throughout Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” campaign, I learned more things than I could
possibly list and discuss. This was such a successful campaign, and I could not have been more
pleased with any other. From the standpoint of the campaign itself, I learned multiple things that
I can implement in building the basis in the future career that I am pursuing that is based on
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Public Relations and Marketing. It was intriguing to learn about the evolvement of social media,
but to also see it being directly implemented in a positive and successful way. Before I began this
case study, I never knew that Nike was not the sponsor of the 2012 Olympics, and to me, which
says a lot on Nike’s execution tactics. From the standpoint of the case study, I also learned
multiple things. I learned more about researching and evaluating during this paper, than any
other I have written before. It made me examine every little aspect from a point-of-view that I
have never really had to use. Overall, I feel as if this case study was extremely beneficial to me,
and for the most part was enjoyable.