The Effectiveness on Nike’s “Dream Crazy” Campaign

Abstract

The investigation looked into the market-changing consequences of Nike's "Dream Crazy" campaign, which was launched to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the classic "Just Do It" campaign. According to the findings of the study, celebrity endorsements were important in motivating and resonating with customers, boosting and contributing to brand trust, and facilitating purchasing intentions. The fundamental theme of overcoming hardship and striving for excellence, as personified and reflected by a varied set of inspirational and motivating athletes, strongly linked and resonated with consumers intellectually, reinforcing brand values to an unprecedented level. Furthermore, Nike's emphasis on diversity and inclusivity strengthened its brand image as one that respects and promotes racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural differences, generating a sense of belonging among customers from diverse backgrounds. The adoption of the brand's distinctive, original, yet engaging brand values, demonstrating the company's resilience in the face of criticism and adversity, strengthened the relationship between Nike, its endorsers, and consumers, expanding the bond previously created between it and target customers. Overall, the "Dream Crazy" campaign has resulted in a stunning and revolutionary increase in brand value, stock prices, media exposure, and internet sales for Nike. The study shed light on the remarkable, outstanding, and shocking effectiveness of twenty-first-century marketing strategies and their current influence on brand perception, as well as customers' buying attitudes, intentions, and behaviors.

Full text

Highlights in Business, Economics and Management
EDMS 2023
Volume 23 (2023)
1088
The Effectiveness on Nike’s “Dream Crazy” Campaign
Tianyi Chen *
College of Art and Science, Syracuse University, NewYork, 13210, United States
* Corresponding author: camilalmc@shu.edu.cn
Abstract. The investigation looked into the market-changing consequences of Nike's "Dream Crazy"
campaign, which was launched to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the classic "Just Do It"
campaign. According to the findings of the study, celebrity endorsements were important in
motivating and resonating with customers, boosting and contributing to brand trust, and facilitating
purchasing intentions. The fundamental theme of overcoming hardship and striving for excellence,
as personified and reflected by a varied set of inspirational and motivating athletes, strongly linked
and resonated with consumers intellectually, reinforcing brand values to an unprecedented level.
Furthermore, Nike's emphasis on diversity and inclusivity strengthened its brand image as one that
respects and promotes racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural differences, generating a sense of
belonging among customers from diverse backgrounds. The adoption of the brand's distinctive,
original, yet engaging brand values, demonstrating the company's resilience in the face of criticism
and adversity, strengthened the relationship between Nike, its endorsers, and consumers,
expanding the bond previously created between it and target customers. Overall, the "Dream Crazy"
campaign has resulted in a stunning and revolutionary increase in brand value, stock prices, media
exposure, and internet sales for Nike. The study shed light on the remarkable, outstanding, and
shocking effectiveness of twenty-first-century marketing strategies and their current influence on
brand perception, as well as customers' buying attitudes, intentions, and behaviors.
Keywords: Nike, “Dream Crazy” campaign, Diversity & Inclusivity, Celebrity Endorsement.
1. Introduction
1.1. Research Background
As human civilization entered the first few decades of the 21st century, diversity in culture, race,
ethnicity, and therefore social backgrounds evolved into something that became increasingly and
inevitably valued in the identification and evaluation of commercial entities. Henceforth, in the
sporting goods market, each and every single brand was striving to appeal to its target audience by
shaping up brand images in such ways that would reflect the values aforementioned. 2018 is a year
when Nike’s defining campaign, “Just Do It,” reached its 30th anniversary [1]. It is in such a social,
cultural, and temporal background that Nike has released its “Just Do It” campaign's 30th anniversary
version, The Dream Crazy campaign, in an effort to improve brand identification and approval in
society, augment and boost brand values, embellish brand image, and attract more customers with
purchasing power by featuring successful athletes in its campaigns, as every other brand in the same
sport field has set out to do.
Currently, all of the research has focused on how the controversy surrounding the campaign's
spokesman may affect the target demographic and, as a result, Nike's brand identification. To
illustrate, Jochen et al. investigate the political ramifications and implications of corporate political
advocacy (CPA) as a corporate strategy that responds to and capitalizes on public relations concerns
in polarized cultures [2]. Another example appears when Damion and Logan attempt to provide a
contextualized framework, accounting for Nike's effort in transforming its brand image from a
perceived "human rights violator" to a strong and firmly standing social justice advocate, as well as
how such a transition is manifested and presented to the public and how the public responds in
response [3]. Another study conducted by Diaz Adrian illustrated and investigated the effects of anti-
Americanism molded into Nike's Dream Crazy Campaign with the sponsorship of controversial

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athlete Colin Kaepernick through the campaign's nonverbal features. Nike, in particular, extols hyper-
individualism as a market ideology [4].
1.2. Research Gap
Given the above, there remains a need for additional research to explore how the target audience
seeks social identification and validation across various racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural contexts.
This exploration could potentially result in an enhanced brand image and strengthened brand values,
as well as the positive impact of brand ambassadors. Given the aforementioned information, the
following research question is formulated and proposed: "To what extent did Nike's 30th anniversary
special release, Dream Crazy, as part of their 'Just Do It' campaign, influence the purchasing attitudes,
willingness, intentions, behaviors, and overall perception of Nike as a brand among youth
customers?" When addressing these inquiries, it is advisable to collect pertinent literary critiques in
order to provide a response that not only offers advice but also aids Nike in strengthening and
safeguarding its position in the market, as well as expanding and enhancing its brand identity.
1.3. Structure of This Paper
Ultimately, the essay at hand gathers information and data in order to answer the research question:
How did Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign’s 30th anniversary special release, Dream Crazy, influence
youth customers’ purchasing attitudes, intentions, behaviors, and finally the perception of Nike as a
brand? In the remainder of the paper, it is going to describe the case, analyze the effects and their
corresponding causes, give out suggestions based on the effects and corresponding causes analyzed,
and finally conclude the whole journal by answering the research question and explaining the reasons
why it could be answered that way.
2. Case Description
Nike has instilled in the campaign by targeting the youth generation with the purchasing power to
expend, demonstrating the nature and because of its target audience’s reaction. According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gen Z (Figure 1) shines light on the specific financial numbers that Gen
Z has to expend [5].
Figure 1. Big Earners [5]
Nike is widely recognized for its footwear, apparel, and equipment and is currently the largest
producer of athletic clothing in the world. The company's name was originally Blue Ribbon Sports,
but in 1971 it was renamed Nike in honor of the Greek goddess of victory. Over 76,000 people work
at Nike, one of the most valuable businesses in the sports sector. Nike launched its “Just Do It”
campaign in 1988, which has helped Nike become the highest-profile and most identifiable athletic

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brand on the planet [5]. In the decade between 1988 and 1998, Nike’s share of the domestic North
American sport shoe industry has grown by 138% in the whole market [6].
The special release of its 30th anniversary, The Dream Crazy campaign, featured the employment
of the idea that keep pursuing and chasing personal and career excellence in the face of ordeals such
as disadvantaged family financial situations and physical disabilities, spreading the convincing power
of making necessary and inherent sacrifices to achieve such goals. Specifically, Nike has featured
LeBron James, Lacey Baker, Megan Blunk, Charlie Jabaley, Alicia Woolcott, Odell Beckham Jr.,
Eliud Kipchoge, Serena Williams, and Odell Beckham Jr. Among those, the campaign includes a
member of what could be considered the best team ever assembled in the world of soccer, a one
handed football player played at the most competitive level, the fastest man in the history, current
marathon world record holder -Eliud Kipchoge, and the basketball player who’s considered to be
world changer-Lebron James, a refugee played for his own national team at the age of 16, an iron
man has lost 120 by switching to vegan diet while beating a brain tumor-Charlie Jabaley, a female
basketball prodigy on the wheels who has won gold medal at Rio Olympics-Megan Blunk, a wrestler
for life, who’s born without his legs becomes a force to be reckoned with in the wrestling team, a
compton native named Isaiah Bird went on to become the greatest athlete ever in addition to being a
tennis player-Serena Williams, the only exceptional female player in Grand Blanca’s varsity football
team, who could squat 300 pounds and lift 175, the homecoming queen- Alicia Woollcott
After the release of the Dream Crazy Campaign, Nike has benefited in the form of augmented
brand value by 6 billion dollars. Its stock price hit an all-time high of 67.53 dollars per share.
Furthermore, there is boosted media exposure worth over 43 million dollars, with the vast majority
of exposure being neutral to positive, said Novy Williams [6]. Last but not least, a 31 percent bump
in online sales is also enjoyed by Nike, as reported by TIME [7].
3. Analysis
3.1. Effectiveness on Celebrity Endorsement Effect
Being associated with well-known people creates a sense of brand charisma that inspires and
appeals to customers. A part of the aurora in terms of recognition and approval carried by athletes
recognized by society could be borrowed in the form of endorsement by the corporate entity itself [8].
Nike's campaign strategy is to use this to better attract consumers' purchase intentions. The
multiple athletes who appeared in the campaign are all athletes who have an appealing, inspiring, and
attractive quality to them. The logic behind such phenomena is simple: Each and every single one of
the athletes who appeared in the campaign is known for certain rare and yet inspiring idiosyncrasies,
such as success in defying social, cultural, and racial norms, the overcoming of physical, economic,
and social disadvantages, or pure and pristine greatness in what they have accomplished. No matter
what it is, all these idiosyncrasies are shaping up to be something extremely special, rare, and yet
desirable, which motivates and incentives Nike’s customers’ minds to desire a piece of them.
Han and others stated that customers perceptions of the brand and its campaign would be enhanced
with great credibility through celebrity endorsements [8]. Moreover, the celebrities and brand have
forged a bond and reputation that facilitates them working together to foster and cultivate consumer
behaviors regarding attitudes and perceptions towards the celebrities and the brand itself, influencing
purchase intentions [8].
3.2. Effectiveness on Building up The Brand Image and Brand Value
Both the content and the formality of the “Dream Crazy” campaign have conveyed the message
that adversity and ordeals are meant to be overcome, no matter whether they are financial, physical,
socio-economic, or cultural. Such a message not only awakens a part of humanity that longs and
craves for “the rainbows after the rain"—the paid-offs after the hard work and ordeals—but also
leaves the audience in awe with regard to how powerful, resilient, and unyielding all kinds of
hardships the humanities are capable of evolving into.

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Thus, the campaign reveals the harsh reality while pointing people in the direction of personal and
professional excellence, not by consoling but by inspiring and galvanizing whoever the campaign
could reach. This type of encouragement and inspiration may be perceived and interpreted as a means
of conveying emotionally charged and stimulating messages. These positive, pleasant, and energizing
emotions, feelings, and hormones have been observed to produce compelling buying attitudes,
intentions, and behaviors, which in turn have been observed to deepen and scorch the brand image
and brand values left in the hearts of customers [9].
Pham et al. have demonstrated considerable empirical generalization of the investigation [9].
Almost all of Nike’s products could be considered hedonically advertised and promoted utilitarian
products, which put almost all of Nike’s products in a position to be suitably and customizable
marketed with emotionally charged and arousing messages, according to the investigation mentioned
above, further reinforcing and pronouncing the effect profoundly and noticeably [9].
3.3. Effectiveness on The Diversification and Social Identification
Diversification has also played an essential role in shaping up the brand image as a multi-cultural,
multi-racial, gender-neutral brand that advocates and relies on the very notion of diversification [10].
As mentioned in the case description section, the endorsing athletes in the campaign “Dream Crazy”
stem from a diverse background in terms of their age, gender, culture, nationality, race, and physical
capabilities and talents.
According to Martin et al., the misreporting and underrepresentation of particular groups in society
also suggests that inclusive and diverse advertising can have positive branding and social effects. [10].
By diversity, they mean a description of the individual and social differences of people with different
attributes (e.g., race, gender, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical ability);
inclusiveness refers to the engagement with diversity, emphasizes the inclusion of presence and
perspective, and assesses the integration of different groups of people into one environment [10]. By
diving and tapping into the huge pool of diversity in multiple facets, dimensions, and regards, Nike
has essentially employed a diverse and inclusive advertising strategy.
4. Suggestions
4.1. Suggestions on Employing and Incorporating the Nation of Grit
Given the commercial significance of celebrity endorsements, it might be argued that adding the
concept of grit to the campaign would be beneficial. If fully and effectively incorporated in the
campaign, such an idea, value, and way of life might be transformed into an idea, value, and way of
life, reflected, embodied, and popularized by the celebrities themselves, thereby compelling and
soaring customers' buying attitudes, intentions, and actions.
Producing more material that not only captures the athletic accomplishments of specific Nike
athletes but also focuses on specific, day-to-day, commonplace yet significant events in the lives of
those who have supported Nike to illustrate, all of those who have endorsed Nike have almost
definitely faced the possibility of falling or failing themselves many times, if not many times, at some
point in their athletic or personal lives. Shining a light on how they react and choose to deal with
failures defines what they are made of and what kind of athletes and people they aspire to become as
much as success, if not more, which coincides with the very concept of grit—the proclivity to pursue
specific long-term goals with passion and persistence [11].
In other words, the focus point of advocacy and inspiration could be shifted to the very concept of
grit and how it should be cultivated and habitual zed in an inspiring and encouraging fashion, as grit
acts as an accurate predictor of high achievement in a range of individual performance domains,
which is exactly what Nike has branded itself as pursuing [11]. It could logically follow that such a
quote from Kobe Bryant, the legend born under Nike’s brand, could be employed as the background
monologue: "Do you love the process? That gets you to that. Those boring, agonizing moments If
you love that, then you know you found something that’s really true to you. You know, if you do the

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work and work hard enough, dreams come true. Those times when you get up early and work hard;
those times when you stay up late and work hard Those times when you don’t feel like working,
you’re too tired, and you don’t want to push yourself, you do it anyway. That is actually the dream”.
Such an idea could be manifested and embodied in another way, as put by the words of Eliud
Kipchoge: I'm confident to say that if you want to grow in a profession, consistency is the key. I'm
strict about my work goals and training.” [12]. In doing so, Nike could foster a sense of leadership
and culture that has eventually been proven to improve work performance and workers’ engagement.
4.2. Suggestions on Employing and Incorporating the Strategy of Reverse Psychology
Given how indispensable brand-image and brand-value building are, it is pointed out that
employing and incorporating the strategy of reverse psychology into the campaign If executed
properly, such a strategy is likely to yield a result that bundles and ties brand recognition to Nike as
a brand, therefore compelling and soaring customers’ buying attitudes, intentions, and behaviors.
Such a marketing strategy Nike could resort to is the strategy of reversal psychology. In such a spirit,
Nike could even alter the very slogan and name of the campaign from “Just Do It” to “Don’t Do It”.
Establishing such a concept in the campaign is no less than establishing a spirit of autonomy and
independence, as well as rebellion, which would later grow into one of the core principles supported
by both Nike and its customers [13]. Specifically, adding the word do not in front of every single
action and attitude that Nike represents would have such effects that their target audience would be
more compelled than ever [13]. The idea behind such a theory is that urging customers not to do
something is far more potent than simply expressing it in a simple and straightforward manner [14].
Such a persuading strategy has served Nike well in the past with Michael Jordan; there is no reason
why it cannot do so today. Furthermore, employing such a different and innovative method will make
Nike more customer-centric rather than product-centric, appealing to and engaging with customers
who are already media-weary and blasé from over-marketing [13].
4.3. Suggestion on Employing and Incorporating the Common Enemy Effect
In order to emphasize the interconnectedness of the sacrifices made by both the Nike brand and its
athletes in their pursuit of success, it may be beneficial for Nike to incorporate within its campaign
the adverse responses from certain customers towards the campaign and its underlying message. By
showcasing the negative reactions and hate speech directed towards Nike endorsers, the campaign
can transform this negativity into a source of motivation, ultimately propelling those who have
aligned themselves with Nike towards triumph. This approach implies that the brand and its athletes
are united in a shared destiny, traversing a similar path towards accomplishment. In doing so, a
message that Nike would only sign those who could align, feel, support, and relate to its values could
be sent loud and clear.
Furthermore, such animosity and hostility towards those who have endorsed Nike and the brand
itself combined would unite the brand, those who have endorsed the brand, and customers in a fashion
that has never been seen before, just as Haller and Hoyer illustrated in social psychology through the
term “common enemy effect” [14]. In effect, nothing strengthens, reinforces, and toughens up the
bond built between the endorser, the endorsed, and its customers like a commonly perceived enemy,
in that the endorser, the endorsed, and the customers have formed an emotionally aroused and
cognitively synchronized entity with aligned interests, attitudes, and values when the customers adore
and empathize with the endorser facing the hate speech.
5. Conclusion
As Nike celebrates its “Just Do It” series of campaigns, a special commemorative advertising video
called “Dream Crazy” is released. The investigation examines and explores the advertisement with
scrutiny through the lens of marketing analysis on many facets of customer attitudes, market
dynamics, and brand perception. Such an advertisement video has been nothing but a carefully

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constructed masterpiece manifested artfully in the whole industry, as it has effectively captured the
customers’ buying attitudes, willingness, intentions, and behaviors. It has unearthed numerous major
discoveries that add to the field of marketing and brand management through an extensive analysis
of the campaign's techniques, celebrity endorsements, emotive narratives, and use of diversity and
social identification marketing.
In the campaign, Nike essentially explored possibilities, built and realized the potential of Nike as
a brand, consolidating and securing its niche in the market by sprinkling the brand with enlarged
relatability and identification. On top of these benefits, such advertisements provide insightful advice
and marketing tactics for the bigger picture. It exemplifies how compelling and significant
storytelling, emotional appeal, and varied representation, including social values in line with shifting
customer expectations, can be combined to build a brand narrative that appeals to customers in the
twenty-first century. Lessons and techniques from this campaign will definitely guide and inspire
future marketing initiatives as the marketing landscape continues to change, making it a crucial
addition to the profession.
However, the investigation is not without its limitations. One direction further investigation could
concern themselves with would be to support the qualitative evaluations concluded and obtained in
the study with quantified evidence.
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