Alexandra Little

“Just do it.” Sounds familiar, right? Adopted by Nike in a 1988 advertising campaign, it quickly became one of the most recognized slogans worldwide. The flagship ad starred 80-year-old Walt Stack running across the Golden Gate Bridge as a symbol of discipline and stamina no matter the age.

The slogan was not just a marketing ploy but also an everyday symbol and a cultural mantra associated with motivation, athleticism and empowerment. The words “just do it” were supposed to give one no room for excuses or hesitation. This caused people to apply this outlook to their everyday life. Don’t want to go for that run? Just do it. Don’t want to go to the gym? Just do it. Simply remarkable. It is short, memorable, and applicable to anyone. Gleaming with determination to overcome obstacles, self-empowering and resilient: everything anyone could want to achieve in three powerful words.

Not only did this brilliant marketing strategy gain immense popularity, but it also caused Nike’s sales to soar from roughly 877 million dollars in 1988 to 9.2 billion dollars by 1989, resulting in a nearly tenfold growth over the next decade for Nike. It is the longest running slogan in all sports marketing as over three decades later “Just do it” is still Nike’s central tagline, which is a very rare occurrence. Even today, Nike is still deconstructing it: their new 2025 “Why do it?” is clearly related to it, yet it espouses a different message.

Coming up with their slogan, Nike didn’t just think about promoting their products. They decided to focus on a profound feeling proving the power of words in business marketing: they really do make all the difference both in terms of the growth of the brand and securing a dedicated customer base.