In this article, we’ll take a look at how Nike Facebook ads are used to drive sales and increase traffic to Nike’s website.
At Relevantly, we have over 15 years of marketing experience, and would love to share what we’ve learned about some of the biggest brands’ marketing strategies with you!
Here, you’ll learn more about Nike Facebook ads, Nike’s online marketing strategy, and how you can use this information for your own business.
Nike Facebook Ads
There’s no doubt that Nike is one of the biggest, most well-known brands across Canada, North America, and the world. When it comes to sportswear, they are the biggest brand.
Smaller businesses can learn a lot about effective marketing strategies by looking at brands such as Nike.
To get started on our case study, let’s take a look at some recent Nike Facebook ads, and how each one helps to drive sales.
Recent Nike Advertisements
With over 33 million fans on Facebook and growing, it should come as no surprise that Nike has some of the most effective Facebook advertisements!
Here, we’ll not only take a look at these ads, but also why they are effective and how they help increase Nike’s sales.
nike facebook ad #1: Simple, Stylish, relevant
The ads above are super sleek, simple, and eye-catching. These product-based ads perfectly showcase the one item they’re trying to sell.
There is no clutter, no background, no distractions. You don’t have to wonder what this ad is about. Simple is often best.
If you are interested in new shoes, or better yet, gifting new shoes, this ad is likely to pique your interest.
This is also a highly relevant ad, as it’s running during the few weeks before Christmas! When it comes to text, less is usually more.
The brief headline “The gift that’s always in style” is more than enough to get the strong message across.
The text “Gift Sport” is catchy, easy to remember, and also sends a message - you’re not just buying someone a new pair of shoes. You’re giving them the gift of an experience!
As well, the “Shop Now” buttons make it super easy for interested viewers to click through and shop right away. When running ads, it’s best to make things as simple for users as possible.
So, what have we learned from this ad?
Simplicity can be ultra eye-catching when done correctly
Short headlines still grab attention
Stay relevant and aware of upcoming events or holidays
Make use of call-to-action buttons
Don’t just sell products, sell an experience
Now let’s take a look at what happens when you click on this ad.
Source: Nike.com - Nike Pico 4
When we click on the cute little shoe from the first ad, we are immediately taken to a product page.
This page is perfectly optimized to the user - it automatically knew we were shopping from Canada and it showed me the sizes that were available (or not available).
The page includes large buttons that allow me to add the product to my bag right away.
Of course, it also perfectly showcases the product itself, providing the viewer with four large, high-quality images of the product.
Another interesting thing to note is that although the price is included on the page, it is definitely not the first thing you see on the page.
While you must be transparent about pricing, this strategy shows that to get more sales, it might be best to pique interest before jumping straight to pricing.
So, what have we learned from this product page?
Showcase high-quality images of your product
Optimize for your unique viewers
Ensure sizes/options/etc are easily accessible
Make it easy to purchase or otherwise “save” for later
Now, let’s take a look at another Nike Facebook ad.
Nike Facebook Ad #2: Playful and Fun
This ad has a very different look and feel from the previous Facebook ads we analyzed.
Instead, this Nike ad looks fun, playful, and likely targets parents with young children. This ad says: “Look how happy I am in this!”
Instead of jumping right to the “shop now” mindset like the previous ads, this ad allows users to warm up to the idea of shopping for a new product.
This ad includes a “Learn More” button instead of a “Shop Now” button. Instead of telling users to “gift” anything (i.e. buy something), it simply provides information about the product.
It uses a lot of descriptive words in just one brief sentence:
Cozy
Cosmic
Shiny
Warm
Stylish
In the text below, it states “Playful winter kidswear.” Similar to the ads above, it includes relevant information about the time of year this ad is running.
Still, this ad has a completely different strategy than the first set of ads. Instead of asking users to shop, it piques interest.
It plays to its target audience’s emotions by using highly descriptive words and the image of an overjoyed, happy kid who loves her Nike clothes.
Source: Nike on Facebook
When you click on this ad, it takes you directly to the Nike Facebook page - not to their website or a product page!
Why would you want to do this? Aren’t ads used to increase sales?
Well, brand recognition is one of the best ways to increase sales. If someone ends up on Nike’s Facebook page, they are more likely to “like” or “follow” the page.
As well, once you click on a Facebook ad, Facebook stores that information. Then, it allows companies to “retarget” users.
Retargeting means that the same user who clicked on one ad will end up seeing more ads! So even if this ad did not directly result in a sale, it could mean that:
The user was interested enough to click the ad, so they may end up visiting the website anyway
The user will be targeted for later ads, which may result in a sale
The user may like or follow the page, providing more opportunities for interaction and sales in the future
Brand recognition will increase
So, if you aren’t ready to send users to a product page or want to work on increasing brand awareness as well as sales, this is an excellent strategy to follow.
Nike Facebook Ad #3: star power
Using celebrities or “influencers” to help sell your product is definitely nothing new. However, it’s still an important tactic to emphasize.
Name recognition and star power still have a massive effect on influencing consumers to purchase products - even if we are more aware of this strategy than we were, say, 50 years ago.
“The affinity consumers have for certain celebrities can greatly influence their purchases. People may have the attitude, ‘If the product is good enough for her, it's good enough for me.’”
Nike, as a massive sportswear company, has many connections with athletes and sports organizations, like the NBA.
These amazing action shots taken of professional basketball players help to showcase Nike’s products in one of the best ways possible - “if these NBA players like Nike, that means it’s good for anyone!”
Once again, these ads don’t lead to a particular product page or the website, they send the user to the Nike Facebook business page when they click “Learn More.”
These ads are designed to pique interest and help create a narrative in consumer’s heads - that Nike is the go-to sportswear for professional athletes, but it’s available to you too!
Nike Facebook Ad #4: serious shoppers
These two Nike Facebook ads are a bit reminiscent of the first two we looked at. Once again, they are simple, sleek, and use subtle tones and colours.
However, this time, the ads feature people wearing the product, instead of just the product on its own.
Both strategies are effective in their own way. For these ads, you see two fit, attractive people wearing Nike’s sweaters.
It is important to note that some research has shown that showing people in your ads can actually decrease engagement.
Big brands like Nike don’t always have to play by the rules - but this research is an important thing to keep in mind.
The featured people in this ad look fairly serious - this is a bit different from the smiling people we’re used to seeing in ads.
However, this makes sense - after all, Nike’s brand is a serious sportswear brand. These images show that these people are ready to get to work - and the best way to begin is by gearing up in Nike clothing.
Source: Nike.com - Nike Dri-FIT
Like the running shoe ads, these sweater ads take you directly to the website’s product page when you click the “Shop Now” button.
Once again, we see:
High-quality images
Easy-to-access shop now/favourite buttons
The sizes available
The price
The name of the product
As we mentioned above, a well-constructed product page can easily help you increase sales.
If it’s easy to “shop now” and consumers don’t have to guess how or where to buy the product, they’ll be more likely to purchase instead of leaving out of frustration!
Other Ways Nike Uses Facebook
Facebook ads are just part of Nike’s overall Facebook and social media strategy.
There are a number of other ways that Nike uses Facebook to help drive sales and stay connected with consumers.
As well, Nike’s Facebook ad strategy plays into their bigger, more universal marketing strategy. Check out this great video below to learn a bit more about their strategy.
An explanation of Nike’s marketing strategy
When it comes to Facebook ads, Nike follows the strategies outlined in the video above, as well as some other Facebook-specific strategies.
As you plan your own social media marketing strategy, keep some of these other strategies in mind:
Separate Facebook Pages: Nike has multiple Facebook pages dedicated to specific brands & product lines (e.g. Nike Skateboarding).
Limited Organic Posts: As “organic reach” has steadily declined over the years, big brands like Nike have focused more on paid ads and using their Facebook page to connect with fans.
Communication: Nike takes the time to respond to some comments posted on their ads and images, in many cases acting as instant customer service for consumer questions and concerns.
Facebook ads are an important part of the online marketing strategy for many businesses, but it’s important to remember that there is more to it than just ads!
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At Relevantly, we have over 15 years of marketing experience and have helped small businesses across Ontario, Canada, and North America build their brand online.
If you’re ready to create an effective Facebook marketing strategy, contact us today!
