Social Listening- Nike
Nike mission page Nike - Mission — NIKE, Inc.
Nike's Instagram: Instagram
This week, I chose to look at Nike and see what their advertising was like on social media, and if they interact with users on the platform of Instagram. I chose Nike because I wear a lot of their clothes for working out or playing basketball, but I have never looked at what they post online outside of just the marketing on their website or in physical stores. Nike is an activewear and streetwear company, and their value proposition is that they "offer products to inspire anyone to become an athlete".
I saw both good and bad things in Nike's Instagram marketing. The first comment I saw by @kayfedsz mentions she is unhappy that plus-size women are not represented in the advertisement. A response to this comment by @dgreg1170 complains that the sizing for the product is ridiculous, with a 125lb woman having to buy a size XL. I think that both of these users have a point, as Nike says on their own homepage that "If you have a body, then you are an athlete". If you say everyone with a body is an athlete, but only represent your brand with very fit, slender women instead of all body types, that is not holding true to your company's mission. In addition, they clearly have not sized the product to be worn by anyone, excluding a lot of women from even being able to wear the new product.
A good thing that I saw in their social media Management was that they do respond to user comments, although not all of them. A recent poster advertisement on their page featured distance runner Jacob Kiplomo, a well-known sponsored Nike athlete, at the finish line of a race. A comment by @griffduncan asked them to "make a post for Mantz too". Nike's Running account not only responded, saying "we got you," but sure enough, made another post featuring Connor Mantz. I think that it's cool for Nike to do this. A fan wanted to see his favorite runner get posted, and they took the time to make another post for that runner. When I see things like that, it makes me feel like Nike cares about their followers and consumers, and what they want to see.
Nike has 298 million followers on Instagram, and they post at least once, sometimes multiple times a day, usually to announce a new product or to celebrate what their sponsored athletes are doing. I see them generating a lot of positive comments about the athletes that they post, but also a lot of negative comments on their most recent product, saying that they are not including body diversity, and just general confusion on why they are partnering with a loungewear brand for a workout set. To relate to what we have been talking about in class, I think that Nike is doing a great job building brand recognition. Nike represents athletes in every sport, sponsoring pro skateboarders to basketball players to marathon runners. They make a lot of motivational style posts featuring athletes who are household names to fans of each sport, and this helps people associate the brand with their athletes when they see them compete. If I were the brand manager at Nike, I would make sure not just athletes and those in incredible shape are represented, but post pictures of average people in their Nike gear, and even ask the public for submissions to be featured in Nike ads, as part of their mission is that anyone with a body is an athlete. Looking at their Instagram page, I don't see anything that would tell me they believe anyone with a body is an athlete, as they never post anyone but high-level athletes on their page.
From doing this assignment, I learned that even vastly successful companies aren't perfect in what they post on social media, and that they can benefit from listening to what consumers want, as it makes consumers feel cared about. I also learned that nike is not doing the best job at following their mission statement, as their social media account does not seem completely inclusive.
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