Have Fun…It’s OK

What matters to marketers may not always be what matters to consumers.

This thought-provoking column by Ben Shaw of the creative agency BBH – “Marketing’s Unhealthy Obsession With Inspiration” -- illustrates that chasm with two examples from Nike. 

You have probably see the first example – Nike’s “You Can’t Stop Us” film, which is designed to inspire us during the gloom of COVID-19 while illustrating the importance of diversity. It’s a great video and had Twitter and LinkedIn abuzz for a couple of days, but following that initial wave of excitement it is down to 100,000 new views or fewer each day.

At the same time, Drake released a video for a new song, “Laugh Now, Cry Later,” set entirely at Nike World Headquarters in Portland. It has nothing to do with inspiration or COVID or, really, the importance of diversity.  It’s just fun. Drake rolls up to the Nike campus in an absurd Maybach, balls with athletes like Kevin Durant and Marshawn Lynch, goes on a shopping spree and buys about 200 pairs of new shoes, and just generally does Drake things.

The video came out two weeks after the Nike ad. It received little marketing industry buzz, but it’s on track to easily surpass “You Can’t Stop Us” in views. Moreover, the level of social media engagement is about 20x that of “You Can’t Stop Us.”

Shaw argues, “While there is a place for topical, inspirational marketing that deals with societal issues, the marketing profession tends to hugely overemphasize its importance.  Ordinary people don’t usually want or need brands to ‘inspire’ them.”   He goes on to discuss a 2019 paper that contends that marketers are much more driven and career-focused than the average consumer.

His point is compelling – that brands should remember that even in times like these that are difficult in so many ways, consumers still want to laugh, have fun, and be materialistic just like always.