Nike Shoes Stole Her Brand Name
3 Marketing Ideas You Can Also Steal From This Post!
Let me guess: You are here for the tea 🍵. You want to hear all about how Nike Shoes 👟 stole her brand name.
Yes, I will tell you.
Come to think of it, have you ever wondered where the name NIKE came from.
Okay, it’s not the Nigerian 🇳🇬 Yoruba name, Olanike, or Adenike, whose variation is ‘Nike. Okay, let’s get that straight 😊.
Nike is a formidable brand, whose name comes from a Classical Greek language (so much for my first and second degrees in Classics).
“Nike” or “νίκη“ is the Greek word for Victory.
So, when Nike thought of a name to communicate their brand’s unique story- objective-goal or call it mission- they came up with the name, Nike.
July 1971, they wanted a name and chose the Greek Goddess of Victory.
“The name of Nike however spans over 3,000 years from Greece to Rome to an American sportswear brand” (Carpe Diem Tours, 2024).
According to Forbes, Nike generates 50 billion in revenue annually (Forbes, 2024)
Nike stole from the Greeks, and here are five branding/marketing or storytelling ideas you can steal from this post.
Three nights ago, I was putting together a proposal for a partnership between ideyforyou and a pageant company: for a project that seeks to help pageant Queens launch tech-enabled knowledge businesses. So, I thought deeply, about how to make that proposal stand out, and I figured stealing from the Greeks would not hurt. ☺️
Take a look at these ABC of social entrepreneurship, that I stole from The Greeks!
PS: This is not the time to be overly religious lol, just follow the story.
Athena (Wisdom). Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom. The Greek story has it that she was born from Zeus’ head, and that is why she is so wise. As you launch and scale your social enterprise, ask yourself, what lived experience has made you wiser? Did you go through a hurtful divorce, but your Athena, helps you tell the difference between what a healthy or abusive relationship looks like now? Did you discover how to file your taxes yourself? Did you learn how to apply for grants yourself? All these are examples of your wisdom, which can make the lives of others, and the world better. Now, lean into your Athena, and leverage that in creating a digital product (a course or an ebook) or put it into a training, and get it to those who need that solution. That could even become the reason you start your own business today.
Bia (Power). Bia is the Goddess of Power and Strength. To accelerate the impact of your social enterprise, build your Bia- your power strength. But also, share it-distribute it. To share your business’ power, communicate your unique message through effective storytelling; and this should be clear when people visit your website, as well as social media handles. Next, get people to share in that power, in the form of clients, customers, or consumers. Then share those on social media as well.
Calliope (Muse of Epic Poetry). Calliope is the finest of muses, and her voice was so powerful, that she was called the Queen and Goddess of Eloquence. When you create your product or service, think of it as a song or poem that must sound good to the ear-it should be so alluring, that even the hearing or visually impaired feel something! Make it a siren, that never stops until it breaks even the most stubborn of Oddyseus’ men!
Sell it like a bard! Sound it! Drum it! Calliope it!!!
Which of the Greek Goddesses, are you stealing today?
If you are in Chicago, join me, as I lead a branding and marketing workshop on the 17th of May. Holding at the Polsky Center from 12pm-2pm CST; and it’s free of charge.