Claim Nike: JUST DO IT

In 1988, Dan Wieden was reading about the last words of Gary Gilmore—a mass murderer awaiting execution—who said, "LET’S DO IT." This became the inspiration. Considered one of the most powerful motivations, the claim JUST DO IT was part of the effort that increased the revenue share in the sports footwear category (domestic market) from 18% to 43% over ten years. Today, it is still a part of the branding and is used functionally across executions as a secondary communication element.

This, however, often refers to big brands. Nike, Apple with their "Think Different," or McDonald’s with "I’m Lovin’ It." But just like us, they too want to capture the best, and they too work with people who must come up with the ideas. Someone thought of it, and someone else pushed it forward.

Claim: How to Create One

The key is to ask yourself—what exactly do you want from the claim? And even more crucial is to accept the internal answer that often, “you don’t know.” The most common answer is, “It just needs to work.” In our opinion, it’s necessary to acknowledge that a claim generally fulfills a communicative role, and you need to establish its position regarding what that should be. Every marketer must then address two layers of questions. The first is the use of the claim—where, why, and for how long? The second concerns the brand—what is it really, what does it want to be, and to whom is it directing its communication? These are often heated discussions. We have never experienced someone just pulling a ready-made claim out of a drawer. The truth is, there are never answers to everything, which is why it’s best to find inspiration.

Tip for a Persuasive Claim

We’ve had the most success using a combination of two approaches, which we outline below. It always results in an Excel sheet—each sheet containing one of the following approaches. Then, we typically argue, and from that conflict, the greatest ideas emerge (seriously!).

1. Graham Robertson, an American author, categorizes claims into four types:

Process Support

How does your product function differently? What do you do differently? What added value do you provide in your market?

Product Claims

What feature makes your brand better? What feature makes your brand safer? What gives your brand a financial advantage over others?

Third-Party Validation

Experts in the field who can speak for your brand. Customer reviews. Recognized awards, such as J.D. Power.

Behavioral

Clinical trials. Market usage studies. Before-and-after studies.

2. Another Approach to Creating a Claim

Again, it’s systematic work, but on a different level. The categories IMPERATIVE, SUPERLATIVE, PROVOCATIVE, SPECIFIC, and DESCRIPTIVE describe how claims should practically sound. Then, it's about assigning five to ten claims to each category. Over time, you’ll notice they differ in intensity and in how unique, quirky, or fantastic they are. Therefore, we always distinguish these categories based on intensity or what resonates more or less. We recommend closing the computer and waiting a few hours before evaluating.

How does it look in practice?

Both approaches are really just about defining the boundaries of imagination. This way, creativity doesn’t fade, and a person isn’t stuck in a vacuum while focusing on a particular point. We certainly don’t think this is the only way; there are billions—more sophisticated, complex, perhaps even faster and easier ways. These, however, have worked best for us.