Nike Ad – Statistics Lie
The famous Nike Ad (Marilyn Monroe) of the 90s
“A WOMAN IS OFTEN MEASURED BY THE THINGS SHE CANNOT CONTROL.
SHE IS MEASURED BY THE WAY HER BODY CURVES OR DOESN’T CURVE,
BY WHERE SHE IS FLAT OR STRAIGHT OR ROUND.
SHE IS MEASURED BY 36-24-36,
IN INCHES AND AGES AND NUMBERS,
BY ALL THE OUTSIDE THINGS THAT
DON’T EVER ADD UP TO WHO SHE IS ON THE INSIDE.
AND SO IF A WOMAN IS TO BE MEASURED,
LET HER BE MEASURED BY THE THINGS SHE CAN CONTROL,
BY WHO SHE IS AND WHO SHE IS TRYING TO BECOME,
BECAUSE AS EVERY WOMAN KNOWS,
MEASUREMENTS ARE ONLY STATISTICS,
AND STATISTICS LIE...”
-Nike
As Guy mentioned:
That’s an ad for two pieces of cotton, leather and rubber called Nike Women’s Aerobic Shoes. Because Nike does not say to women, “You have $100, we have two pieces of cotton, leather and rubber manufactured under somewhat suspect conditions, and, if you give us the $100, we’ll give you the two pieces of cotton, leather and rubber.” That’s not the pitch. It may sound familiar to some of your marketing efforts, but that’s not the pitch. The pitch is to make cotton, leather and rubber stand for efficacy and power and independence. That’s how you get evangelists for shoes.
