Get In The Water And Swim With Your Consumers: Nike Golf John Hess
John Hess, Nike Golf US’s global senior brand director, was first cab off the rank in this morning’s Ministry of Sports Marketing conference, brought to you by yours truly, B&T. And the straight shooter had a few sage words for marketers and sports fans alike when it comes to understanding your consumer.
Hess started by telling a joke about two fish swimming in a bowl. The older fish says to the younger fish, “Morning fish, how’s the water?” And the other fish replies, “What the fuck is water?
“The main purpose of this joke is to remind you to get back in the water with your consumers. Don’t sit outside and study them from outside the bowl. Get in there with them,” he said.
“The feeling of forgetting you’re in the water is dangerous as a marketer.”
Hess said through Nike Golf he sells “the notion, and the idea, of sport”.
“We don’t just sell the thrill of victory, we embrace the agony as well. Look to those edges in marketing.”
“Ask people what they want,” said Hess in his next piece of advice, suggesting that if you asked the horse-riding, pre-car consumer what they wanted, they’d say they want “a faster horse”.
“Consumers don’t know what they don’t know. When it comes to willing to be wrong you have to take that chance, and have vision. Say to them, I’m not going to provide a faster horse, I’m going to create a shiny, fast car.
Hess said to ask yourself as a marketer, “Who are you and what is your proposition? What is your thumbprint?”
“I’m a hockey guy. I tell people that I don’t need two left wings; I need a left wing, a right wing, a centre and defence. But I don’t need two left wings.
“Find your position, find your thumbprint, and find your water.
We live in boxes but we don’t like to live in boxes,” Hess added. “So don’t put me in a category, don’t put me in a line up, I’m more than that.
And it’s the same for a brand, Hess explained, adding we have to remind ourselves of that all the time.
Using the example of classic cult film, The Breakfast Club, Hess said the final scene changed the way he thought about people, when protagonist Andy tells his principal they think he’s “crazy for making us tell you who you think we are”.
“Embrace that notion,” Hess said. “Too often as marketers we view our consumers as a brain, as a jock, as a princess, as a basket case. But that’s not true at all.
“Our consumers live in cultures, they don’t live in demographics. And for that we can thank the Internet. It has broken and fixed everything, but marketers get to get up and have access to everything that exists. That means our culture is shaped more widely.
“It used to be, ‘who’s right around the corner from you, what do you believe in, what language do you speak, where were you born?’
Today a culture is anything you want to pull out of your closet, your phone or your computer. You have to be true to yourself.
“It’s about pull marketing. It’s about ‘build it and they will come’. It’s about going out there in the right context and pulling people in. Content is king but context is queen.
“When we talk about those consumers and experiences, one of the things we forget is that we do sell cult culture, the broad idea.
“A lot of people would be critical and say it’s mass thinking but it’s not. Every single fan is having their own experience. Yes, it’s shared but they’re not all having the same experience.
“We can thank the Internet for that. This generation, millennials, they don’t want to be famous, they assume they will be famous, because fame has taken a completely different turn and means completely different things.
“What that means is we have to make sure our connections are personal. It’s one of my beefs about social media, it’s very social but it’s not personal.
“Take social media and make it personal. Make sure you’re connecting with those consumers, with your fingerprint in their water.”
Hess said it’s really hard to get people to tell you what they want, citing a classic Simpsons consumer research clip as evidence.
He ended up describing consumer research as being like “a string of lampposts for a drunk person trying to get home.
“You can go to the first one and cling to it, wait for the sun to come up and hope someone finds you, or you can use it to get to the next one, to then get to the next one, to eventually get to the insight.
“It’s rare people just hand that insight to you. It’s wrapped in enigma. And if you know who you are and have your fingerprint sorted out, this will help you refine it, and legitimise it.
If you know who you are you’re going to get home. If you don’t you’re clinging to that first lamppost.
Hess wrapped things up by saying, “I would urge you to figure out what that water is. Where are your consumers swimming? Get in with them. Immerse yourself literally and figuratively.
“Studying them from outside the bowl won’t give you the insights you need. You’ll be social because you’ll be waving from outside the bowl, but you won’t be personal.”
Please login with linkedin to comment
Advertising Standards Bureau David Hovenden john hess New developments nike golfLatest News
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Appoints Ardent For PR
Yes, we all like to have a joke at PR's expense. But sometimes it does important work, like this.
AI, eCommerce & Marketing Specialists Are In Increased Demand By Businesses, New Data From Fiverr Shows
Has your philosophy & anthropology degree left you with nothing but a huge HECS debt? Here's what you should've studied.
Perth’s First 3D Anamorphic Billboard Arrives Courtesy Of oOh!media
Do you love a buzzword? Now you can add anamorphic to the list as it relates to billboards, not a colleague's ears.
MasterChef Australia & Crown Resorts Launch Unique Dining Experience With ALUMNI
A pop-up restaurant staffed by MasterChef contestants! That's fine dining prices for first-year apprentice chef cuisine!
Amanda Laing Announces Resignation From Foxtel Group
Foxtel's chief commercial & content officer heads for the exits. Read nice things the bosses said about her right here.
The Lost Letters From Our Diggers: News Corp Unveils ANZAC Day Special
It's nice when brands respectfully acknowledge ANZAC Day.
Howatson+Company Acquires Akkomplice
Large indie acquires a slightly smaller indie. Much like a shark eating a tuna, just with less thrashing and blood.
Google Delays Third-Party Cookie Deprecation Again
In good news for the sale of picture library biscuit photos, Google continues to tease over the end of cookies.
Education A Low Priority For Aussies More Concerned With Cost Of Living Forethought Study Reveals
Study finds Aussies cutting back on education due to cost of living. Booze & Uber Eats sales remain largely unaffected.
“I’m Still The Same Person That I Was”: Rikki Stern Says “Fucc It” To Cancer Stereotypes
B&T always happy to promote the anti-cancer cause. Even brands that massively overdo it with the hot pink.
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.