Ever since 1988, when Walt Stack ran across the Golden Gate Bridge in Nike’s first commercial, “Just Do It” has been the tagline and philosophy that propelled Nike to become an iconic global brand.
Now almost 40 years later, Nike is aiming to remind a new generation what “Just Do It” actually means. The brand’s newest campaign is called “Why do it?”, and it takes aim at the pervasiveness of cringe culture, which often frames earnest effort as uncool.
“Those three words mean so much to us, but we can’t just be holier-than-thou about it,” says Nike chief marketing officer Nicole Graham. “We have to make sure that those three words are resonating with each generation.”
Narrated by Tyler the Creator, the new campaign’s marquee ad features LeBron James and Caitlin Clark, Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, Real Madrid and Brazil soccer star Vini Jr., skateboarder Rayssa Leal, and more. As these athletes line up shots, attempt moves, and push themselves, Tyler’s voiceover asks: “Why do it? Why would you make it harder on yourself? Why chance it? Why put it on the line? With so much at stake. With so much room to fail. Why risk it? Why would you dare? Seriously, why?! You could give everything you have and still lose. But my question is, what if you don’t?”
That last question is a valid one, and one Nike is looking to answer itself as it battles recent sales dips, and defends its top dog brand status among teens as competitors like On and Adidas continue to gain market share.
Competing with cringe
Cringe has become a defining attitude associated with Gen Z. It takes traditional self-conscious uncertainty and injects it with the steroids of social media and meme culture. This is where Graham sees an opportunity to put new meaning behind Nike’s holy words.
“Fear of failure and fear of trying, and terms like, ‘Don’t be a try-hard,’ ‘You’re so cringe,’ are all reserved for anyone who is showing passion for something,” she says. “So we wanted to take those three words and make sure we’re contemporizing the values of what they mean.”
Asking “Why Do It?” is using the language of the brand to create new meaning, turning cringe on its head, and showing that earnest effort is actually not cringe at all.
“It has never been about a trophy or a win. It has always been about celebrating those who are brave enough to do it. It might mean just take the step out there. It might mean just lace up for the first time. It might mean trying to make the team,” she says. “We felt like it was time to just remind people to just take the step out there.”
Shifting gears
The Swoosh has been working on a major turnaround for the past two years, trying to reverse losses inflicted by a failed shift to direct-to-consumer back in 2021. Graham was named CMO in late 2023, and Elliott Hill was named new CEO in September 2024.
In June, the company reported that 2024 Q4 sales dropped by about 12% to $11.10B from $12.61B a year earlier. Nike has said that 2025 “would be a ‘transition year’ for the company,” and its stock is up by almost 2% year-to-date.
Graham says this new campaign is just one part of a broader global effort, as the company shifts back to dividing itself into teams focusing on specific sports. Under former CEO John Donahoe, Nike’s strategy to grow its lifestyle business was to segment its business by women’s, men’s, and kid’s. The company announced on August 28th that it expected to layoff about 1% of its corporate staff, as a result of the realignment.
“I see already how quickly that success can happen, and the momentum right now is insane,” she says. “The running team was the first, and then the football team, now basketball and cricket. We have made this large company feel very, very small and intimate, so I’m incredibly excited and optimistic.”
Going deep on each sport is the lens through which the brand’s overall philosophy is filtered. That’s where this new campaign comes in. That attitude is meant to have what Graham calls three different “gears”: Showing up at live sports, being a part of big sport moments that are important to fan sub cultures, and being present in the communities where consumers live and play.
This translates to everything from major leagues, to putting on local events like the recent One Global tournament in NYC or the Mamba League Invitational in LA. Or having fun in big moments, like taking the cupcakes out of Columbus bakeries to show that the Ohio State vs. Texas football game wasn’t an easy, early season “cupcake” game.
“Nike has to be at the global stage, but we also have to be at the street corner at the same time,” says Graham.
Everyday greatness
“Why Do It?” has great potential to both combat the impacts of cringe. It could also help Nike create balance between celebrating the giants of sport and highlighting the heroics of the everyday athlete. After all, Walt Stack wasn’t a household name.
Some of Nike’s most creative work hasn’t featured a single pro athlete. For every “It’s Gotta Be The Shoes” there is “Jogger.” The latter, narrated by Jude Law, is a 2012 spot that is just a kid jogging along an empty road. No hype soundtrack. No eye-catching visuals. Just the sound of shuffling feet, and a masterclass in advertising copywriting.
Nike has always done an incredible job of intertwining everyday people into the fabric of its epic sports stories. With “Why Do It?” the brand has an opportunity to tap back into the emotions involved in trying a new sport, or lacing up day-in and day-out when no one is watching.
“We have to make sure that we’re heroing our biggest athletes and making them feel accessible, but we also have to take accessible individuals and make them feel like heroes,” says Graham. “We need to always be playing that balance.”
