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Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ Slogan Turns 20

July 21, 2008 - According to Nike company lore, one of the most famous and easily recognized slogans in advertising history was coined at a 1988 meeting of Nike’s ad agency Wieden and Kennedy and a group of Nike employees. Dan Weiden, speaking admiringly of Nike’s can do attitude reportedly said, “You Nike guys, you just do it.” The rest, as they say, is (advertising) history.

Nike’s “Just Do It” theme is now 20 years old, and the marketer is planning a push of Olympian proportions to commemorate its anniversary.

The company is planning an epic global campaign titled “Courage,” with 60- and 30-second spots to begin airing in the U.S. on Aug. 8, the day of the Olympic Summer Games’ opening ceremonies, while a micro-site, nike.com/courage, is now live.

For the push, 31 athletes from more than a dozen countries are immortalized in the midst of “Just Do It” moments. Athletes like Michael Johnson, Derek Redmond, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer, Steve Prefontaine, John McEnroe, Wayne Rooney and Lance Armstrong. The Killers’ “All These Things That I’ve Done” serves as the soundtrack.

We caught a few glimpses of female athletes, namely Maria Sharapova, Mary Lou Retton, Paula Radcliffe, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Sherone Simpson but we’d like to see more. Hey Nike - where’s the love for the girls?