Turning a positive into a negative?

Word of a brand new campaign has come out by Nike, a relatively short and specific campaign. In response to the ignorant remarks by Imus (WFAN radio host, Nike created a very simplistic looking print ad solely for New York Times source (particularly the Sunday April 15th edition).

The ad used an ample amount of white space and rather informal tone with its copy. Though simple, the ad has a very powerful message and will surely inspire and motivate not only women, but people all over the world.

What does this say about the issue?

Well, like the last line states, humankind has a long way to go. We have a long way to go with censorship, racial issues, ethnics, politics, gender agreements, and much more. But most importantly, in a very subtle way, it is saying Nike supports these insulted women, and recognizes that their company stands above these petty arguments. They are not coming straight out and saying we support these women, as well as all other athletic women, so buy our products! They are respecting their sponsored athletes, and noticing their feelings and rights beyond the court.

In my opinion, it is a very effective message and caring attitude to take. They are taking an approach that risks judgment and criticism from many other radio hosts and affiliations. There is a fine line concerning advertisements that cover such controversial issues, with such little time in between. Many people could say this is distasteful to take advantage of such a situation by putting your logo all over it, and saying they are here for them.

But Nike has always had a reputation of motivating and encouraging people of all kinds to be themselves. I think this ad perfectly displays their true feelings and attitude towards the situation. Plus, by limiting the medium to one edition of one magazine, I feel the ad as more of a PSA then an endorsement recognition.

Besides the fact, without such powerful word of mouth and buzz about the situation, this whole advertisement would have never been possible. It is amazing how quickly something is reported and turns into a nation wide concern.

I say thanks Nike, thanks for confronting and handling the issue properly.


Check out more here
or Nikewomen.

More sites of NIN

Just found some more sites released by Reznor, or at least in affiliation to the group NIN as part of their new viral marketing efforts:


http://anotherversionofthetruth.com/
http://bethehammer.net/mallory.htm
http://105thairbornecrusaders.com/memories.htm
http://www.consolidatedmailsystems.com/citizen_unknown/

NIN is changing the music industry...

It's not what you would expect from such a different band. And as much as Nine Inch Nails' lead man, Trent Reznor, claims it's not a marketing campaign, it really is. To promote their new album, Year Zero, NIN has begun a new marketing approach, something less traditional and more interactive with their fans and even live audience members.

Think of their new efforts as an interactive guerrilla campaign, except the volunteers who act in the campaign are fans, or even you! These efforts cover several tactics like text encrypted into t-shirts (revealing websites), Orwellian websites produced by the band, and my favorite, USB flash-drives found in bathrooms of the concert halls during NIN shows.

If you check out this site, you'll find multiple sitings of these reported USB findings. Reznor also comments on the drives saying they were just another way of circulating the music, and getting pass the outdated CD medium. In my opinion, this was a genius way of promoting the music of NIN. Not only does it drive people to their shows, giving them something exciting and thrilling to look forward to, it also provides one of the best forms of marketing: word-of-mouth. These songs that people find in the bathrooms on these drives are brand new, from the latest album, and not even released yet. After finding these, one is compelled to share their discovery with as many people as possible to spread the music.

These new was of marketing and promoting a band's music is taking campaigning to the next level. It provides people with an interactive "scavenger hunt," something to get people involved in the music and artistry behind the band. By exploring the above website, one can take a look into the haunting, yet intriguingly interesting stories of Parepin, a large influence to some of Reznor's chilling lyrics.

With the help of 42entertainment, NIN has produced a promotional campaign which has given fans enhanced access to the music, and a better way for people to become involved with what they love. Like mentioned in earlier posts, giving the consumer control and alternatives gives them the freedom they desire, and the desire to want more.

To check out more, visit this article.