by Roger Pynn
Nike built its brand with the admonition to us to “just do it!” back in the 80s. They were great moments in advertising and a simple reminder that you can’t spend all your time planning what you want to do. They weren’t just about sports … Nike was telling us to take a bite out of life.
Chris Brogan’s “You Know What To Do” post reminds me of how much time people spend defending themselves for doing nothing instead of just getting the job done … or at least trying. Brogan is writing about the human condition of knowing what the problem is and then over-analyzing the problem instead of doing something about it.
Worst of all, he writes, is the cost of making excuses for why something won’t work or why you haven’t done it. Nike’s campaign was incredibly simple messaging … because it put sneakers on all of us. You don’t have to be an Olympian to wear cool shoes, but you do have to do whatever it is that will make your life complete.
If our firm were a product, I’d want our slogan to be “lace ‘em up.”
