Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” has been around since 1988.
It served as the philosophy of the brand and worked in all kinds of advertising contexts – appearing in bold next to everyday athletes, Olympians, and all-stars. It communicates brand values that resonated for a culture of Gen-Xers that responded to a specific kind of selfless, disciplinarian attitude and tone that challenges the consumer to be the ones to push themselves, because no one else will.
But now, there’s a new generation of consumers: Gen-Z. If you’re a marketer painting with broad strokes, they’re discerning, values-driven, and quick to clock inauthenticity, but also fickle, risk-averse, and susceptible to harboring insecurities bred by “cringe culture”. With newer brands like Hoka and On gaining more traction with the younger generation, Nike's position at the top of the heap is a precarious one. In fact, they saw a 12% fiscal fall in 2025. With this drop serving as a wake-up call, Nike is going for a timely brand positioning pivot. Enter Nike’s refreshed slogan that challenges the new generation and begs the question — “Why Do It?”
Kicked off by a video narrated by musical artist Tyler, The Creator, the “Why Do It?” slogan encourages to the future of athletics to self-motivate. Why push yourself without knowing success waits at the finish line? Why do your best when it still might not be good enough? The slogan encourages you to look within.
In such a noisy market, legacy is an asset to be leveraged, not something to be paved over. Nike says the new slogan “reframes greatness as a choice, not an outcome –– handing ‘Just Do It’ to today’s generation and emboldening them to write the next chapter.”
“Why Do It?” aims to connect with the next generation “where they are”, which is sometimes stuck between wanting to reach their highest potential and fearing failure.
Modern concerns require modern solutions.
What works one day doesn’t work the next. For Gen-Z consumers, trends tell us that try-hard energy is considered “cringe”, and earnestness is most typically consumed ironically.
Born and raised in a culture of uncertainty, Gen-Z has a harder time taking risks — and understandably so. As we know, most Gen-Zers were either in school during or graduating into an isolating pandemic that brought the world to a grinding halt. From education, work, and even culture as we knew it, nothing was guaranteed. And now, many are now faced with getting their careers off the ground with the fear that AI will ultimately replace them in the job market.
Nicole Graham, Nike’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, told ADWEEK that Gen-Z is “hesitant to get out there because of this fear of perfectionism.” She noted that as they spoke with young athletes, the Nike team noticed that comparison, a perfectionist mindset, fear of failing, and fear of "even trying" are all major concerns.
By doing the research and looking to the culture, Nike saw an opportunity to pivot and keep up.
Nike’s whole brand revamp is about taking risks.
On one hand, it seems like messing with the perfection of the “Just Do It” legacy has high risk potential — and it does.
Nike is poised for success because they’ve done what every winning brand must in an ever-changing landscape — cut through the noise with authenticity that resonates. Nike isn’t totally burying "Just Do It”, they’re taking advantage of decades of well-earned brand recognition and fitting it to the needs of the current culture. They’re showing us exactly “why” we should do the same.
Nike has their "why". Iconic brands will maintain their status by speaking to the new generation, living in a world that’s constantly calling things into question. By meeting their audience “where they’re at”, the tonal refresh lends itself to success.
Meeting consumers not only in their cultural context, but where they live is essential to propagate new growth.
In the wild testing approaches every generation on the feeds where culture is shifting and shaping itself every day. By combining social listening and targeted testing, brands can make bolder go-to-market moves with the confidence that what’s created will resonate. Up-to-the-minute insights from real-world testing are opportunities to generate more in-market relevancy and respond to your consumer in a way that feels true to your brand.