There was no bad news for Nike at Sunday night’s Oscars!
It had been a bad week for the shoemaker after top NBA draft prospect Duke’s Zion Williamson’s Nike shoe had fallen apart less than a minute into the game, resulting in a mild injury.
But at the Oscars, Nike diverted attention from Mr. Williamson’s mishap by bridging to more positive attention focused on the “Dream Crazier” commercial. It was the soundbite that proved their public relations prowess with READY FOR MEDIA’s formula for answering tough media questions: Acknowledge, Bridge, Soundbite!
Acknowledge:
“We are obviously concerned and want to wish Zion a speedy recovery,” a Nike spokesman said, per The Washington Post‘s sports writer Des Bieler.
(According to 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, the shoe is considered a low-end Nike model with a retail price of $110. Contracts with the athletes’ schools require them to play in specific shoe brands and models.)
Bridge:
“The quality and performance of our products are of utmost importance. While this is an isolated occurrence, we are working to identify the issue.”
After acknowledging the incident, Nike promised to dedicate its efforts to fixing the issue. This effectively transitioned to its SOCO (Single Overriding Communication Objective) Soundbite, i.e. message.
Soundbite:
Tennis star Serena Williams narrated the “Dream Crazier” ad, which featured many acclaimed female athletes from a variety of sports. It boldly addressed the insults and double standards that female athletes often face. One such scene from the commercial shows a female runner fighting off marathon officials who believe that it is “crazy” for a woman to run marathons.
While the 2019 Academy Awards celebrated diversity, Nike did it by celebrating half of its consumer base: the athletic woman.