Seriously, Why? Nike’s Newest Campaign Asks “Why Do It?”
By Ian Katan
For decades, Nike built its brand on the foundation of a command. It told athletes around the world that to be great, they had one option. To “Just Do It.” But as the world evolves and young viewers respond to different messaging, Nike’s command must show up in different ways. In their latest campaign, it shows up as a question. A question of motivation, now asking “Why Do It?”
The work focuses on the youngest generation of athletes who face a fear of failure. They can be slowed by the false sense that perfection is required when simply trying is the most important first step. “Why Do It?” emphasizes that working towards something that makes you proud isn’t a mindless, predetermined process. It’s a choice, and the only person who can make that choice? You.
Before we dive into the work, it’s worth clarifying: this is a reframing, not a rebranding. Nike isn’t abandoning their “Just Do It” tagline, and they’re not burying it under “Why Do It?” The famous phrase still keeps its place on everything from the company’s social accounts to in-store branding to the end screens of the latest campaign. So take a breath, it’s not going anywhere.
But sticking with the well-known tagline doesn’t prevent Nike from freshening things up with new work that builds on it, and that’s where “Why Do It?” stands. The campaign targets the fears of young athletes who may be nervous to pick up a new sport or activity by highlighting that trying and failing is better than not trying at all.
“We’re igniting that spark for a new generation,” explained Nicole Graham, EVP, Chief Marketing Officer, “daring them to step forward with courage, trust in their own potential and discover the greatness that unfolds the moment they decide to begin.”
The Work
“Why Do It?” is an inspiring campaign, so let’s start with the work itself. Featuring an anthem film and, my favorite part, countless shorter spots with sponsored athletes, “Why Do It?” asks why, in the face of so much risk, so much pressure, and so much unknown, would someone put themselves out there, test their limits, or take on a challenge? Simply, why? When there’s a chance of skinned knees, missed plays, or lost games, what reason is there for trying at all?
Nike demands the viewer weigh the options for themselves, either choosing to sit back and or get out and take the first step. As a writer, I’d be wrong to skip over the words of Nike’s longtime agency partner Wieden+Kennedy, who powerfully drive home the point with lines like “Not trying would hurt more tomorrow,” and “You could be the one who never landed this, who never lived up to anything. Or you could get up there with their expectations.” Paired with dramatic music and slow imagery of both professional and amateur athletes taking risks and pushing their limits, it creates a powerful combination urging viewers towards the option that gets them moving. Don’t worry, someone started cutting onions while I was watching too.
But as is always the case with Nike’s voice, by talking about sports, they talk about more than sports. The same question posed to a professional basketball player going for a jump ball also applies to an amateur golfer working on their putt. It applies to a musician learning a new song or a student picking up a new subject. No matter what field, when the alternative is so much safer, more comfortable, less risky, why do anything? The campaign taps into a question that’s nearly universally applicable: to try something and risk failure, or never try at all?
The Motivation
The campaign’s quality is hard to miss. The highly-polished, cinematic experience creates an engaging watch, whether you know the athlete, play the sport, or are just working towards a goal. But let’s take a step back and think about why Nike is making this tonal adjustment. In much of their work, the brand uses intense, win-at-all-costs messaging. At the biggest sporting events, and whenever their athletes set the newest records, Nike is there to showcase victory and success. However, given they’re now targeting the youngest generation of athletes who face a fear of imperfection, is this the right tone to use?
Last year’s campaign around the 2024 Paris Olympics is a perfect example of the extreme end of Nike’s emotional range. Titled “Winning Isn’t For Everyone,” the project was headlined by a spot called “Am I a Bad Person?” The visuals ripped through shots of top athletes in the heat of competition, eyes blazing and teeth gritted. The voiceover loudly compared their mentalities to narcissists, egotists, and jerks with lines like “I’m maniacal,” “I think I’m better than everyone else,” and “I don’t respect you.” I love that Nike was willing to call out this overlap and demand that the viewer decide whether these traits are understandable or unforgivable.
They’re certainly not wrong for talking with so much vigor. Those players wouldn’t be where they are without an all-consuming focus on their sport. And Nike’s intensity matches the heat of the Olympics, where lifetimes of work are scrutinized, and players are fighting for their countries on the world stage. There’s pressure, there’s emotion, and there’s definitely an obsession with winning. But young athletes don’t always face these same types of monumental moments.
Do young players feel the eyes of the world when stepping out for their first practice with a new team? Or are they more focused on the nerves of being in a new environment with unfamiliar teammates? For many, my time in youth sports included, the focus is more on making sure kids enjoy the game rather than compete for national titles. Those global, career-defining events and the obsession with winning that they bring are much rarer than the everyday moments of kids going out to play with friends, with teams, or by themselves. Before any athlete can reach that world-class level, they must first make the choice to get out there. And that’s what “Why Do It?” is about. A different expression for a different moment.
Where “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” speaks to the pressure at the very top, “Why Do It?” speaks to the everyday athletes who choose to keep pushing and practicing. Reframing Nike’s values of winning and greatness, moving away from demands for hard work and towards questions about motivation, empowers the athlete. It is up to us, as the viewer, whether to play it safe or take the first step. This is what I love about positioning the campaign as a question: the answer isn’t Nike’s. In other work, Nike gets the last word. They get to end on a punchline that demands that the viewer be great. Here, they don’t say anything. The viewer is not explicitly told Nike’s answer. Instead, we’re invited to answer ourselves. My answer will be different from your answer, and our answers will be different from our friend’s. We’re asked to apply our own experiences to the question and fill in the blanks with our own reasons why, and this intrinsic motivation is the campaign’s defining strength.
It’s also worth comparing Nike’s latest work to one of their largest competitors, adidas. The German sportswear giant took a similar step back from total intensity last year when they moved on from their tagline “Impossible is Nothing” after two decades. Now, they’re standing by a gentler “You Got This,” seen across their social platforms and campaign assets. Rolling out their own concurrent global campaign titled “We All Need Someone To Make Us Believe,” adidas showed the importance of having someone supporting you. Reworking the focus from individual performance to mutual encouragement gave adidas a more empowering tone that supports athletes from quiet backyards to packed stadiums.
While Nike certainly isn’t taking the edge off their voice this much (Exhibit A: Saquon Barkley snarling, “Anyone who tells you to stay grounded probably never won anything”), the fact that both brands are shifting focus away from all-out performance does signal a change in what they believe young competitors want. Nike highlighting the athlete’s choice to play, and adidas emphasizing the community around a player, suggests that both see the next generation as one that doesn’t immediately connect with previous win-at-all-costs messaging. I don’t see the intensity leaving for good, but it will likely be adapted over time as the athletes grow and connect more deeply with the heightened emotions of competition. Before that happens though, the brands need to make sure these young athletes are first choosing to engage with the sports.
A smart reframing of their famous tagline, “Why Do It?” is simply a new link in the long chain of Nike’s athlete-centered work. The ethos of “Just Do It” is still infused throughout the latest campaign, but it’s adjusted from telling the viewer what to do, to empowering them to make their own choice. Nike has always demanded that athletes care about achieving greatness. Now, the brand is asking the newest generation of athletes to show Nike why they demand it of themselves.