Group Campaign Synopsis

Working on this campaign has been one of the most fun projects I’ve done in college. I don’t usually work in a group, but I like doing it, especially on a creative and multi-faceted project like this one. There were so many ideas that my partners had that just never would have occurred to me. I believe that every facet of our campaign turned out extremely well, especially the social and viral aspects, and that in a real-world ad campaign these strategies would work. I almost want to email our campaign to Nike – as in, I feel like we’ve accomplished something good enough for actual use by a client. Of course, this is my first advertising project, so maybe that’s how the first one feels for everyone. In any case I’m very proud of the work we’ve done here and I think it turned out to be a well-thought-out and well-executed campaign.

However, I was not at all thrilled about this project at first: creating an advertising campaign for a new Nike toning shoe, which is basically a reversal of Nike’s product philosophy. I agree with Nike’s former stance – that toning shoes are a cop-out and a joke. Personally, I would never in a million years buy a pair of Sketchers Shape-Ups or even a pair of Nike Bolds, our fictional line of toning shoes. Women don’t need to be encouraged to walk around their block in a pair of magic shoes if they’re trying to get in shape. I agree with Nike in that being healthy takes a whole lot of effort, and being athletic takes that much effort times ten. Toning shoes are for people who want to take shortcuts to fitness, which is to say, people who don’t really want to be fit. They’re for people who want to look thin rather than people who care about their health. So, unsurprisingly, I hated the idea of selling this product.

Our initial idea was to market the shoes as a first step towards better fitness, which is basically the idea we stuck with, although we did tweak it a little bit. As we were sitting in class on the day we received the assignment, my first thought was to make a TV spot that featured a woman getting in shape because she took the first step of buying the shoes. The idea was to show a frumpy and out-of-shape woman picking up a pair of toners and trying them on, and then following with a montage of her beginning to do lots of other health-conscious things – like cooking vegetables, drinking more water, taking the stairs, and eventually doing pilates, hiking, running, etc. By the end shot she would be fit and healthy and happy. Once we got to work in the group, though, this idea was somewhat moderated to include the idea of confidence and being happy with yourself regardless of looks. I’m all about that idea, but it was a bit of a struggle for me – though I didn’t speak up about it – because to me, confidence and health are two separate spheres. If I go for a run it’s not because I want to be prettier, but because I want my body to feel better. Fitness ought to be about doing what’s best for you rather than getting your self-worth from being thin. Essentially, this is the idea that we tried to incorporate into our brand positioning. Taking small steps, like wearing a toning shoe as you’re out and about doing your daily activities, can lead to greater awareness of your overall health and fitness. At least that’s the notion we’re trying to pitch. In reality, I don’t think a toning shoe helps anyone get fit, because it makes it seem like fitness is supposed to be easy.
The work we did is convincing, though. Our various consumer interaction strategies, like the website, app and launch event, are things that I think would draw customers. We wanted everything we did to have a very feel-good message, kind of like Dove’s “real beauty” campaign from a few years ago. We wanted this shoe to be a gateway rather than a shortcut. I think our campaign achieves at least the illusion that buying a Nike Bold shoe really is a first step towards getting healthy. It’s just the sort of things people, especially women, like to hear: you’re beautiful the way you are, Rome wasn’t built in a day, health can be fun, etc. Whether or not I stand behind the product, I certainly do stand behind our work, and I’m glad to have been a part of it.