“Just Do It” — The Greatest Call to Action Marketing Tagline of All Time? #3 of 30 Day Challenge

The Nike slogan, “Just Do It,” arguably, is the most famous call to action marketing tagline of all time. Nike Marketing executive Dan Wieden coined the slogan in 1988 for a TV advert. The surprising origin of the motto is a shining example of how powerful words can be to their audience and resonate long after.

Convicted criminal Gray Gilmore uttered the phrase ‘Let’s Do It’ before his firing squad execution in 1977. This confidence in someone about to knowingly die profoundly stuck with Dan Wieden for years to come. The change in word choice from ‘Lets’ to ‘Just’ provokes ownership in the reader.

Changing the word also increases the effectiveness of a push and suggestion for behavioural change. This marketing context creates the call to action, an instruction to the audience to move forward with permissions to do so.

After creating the movement using ‘Just’, the clever use of ‘It’ is now associated with Nike’s product. ‘Just’ buy our clothes, ‘Just’ go for a run, ‘Just’ choose Tiger Woods as your greatest sportsman of all time as he is covered in the famous Nike Swoosh on our branded clothing that you can buy and wear and be great just like him. So much variety of choice and decision making is available to Nike’s audience; the possibilities are endless.

If I can choose a tagline to encourage any reader to move forward with an idea and decision making, it would be this one. ‘Just Try It’ doesn’t quite have the same persuasive determination.

Reference to the origin as spoken by the author is found here.