Nike’s Big Question: From Just Do It to Why Do It?

By The Malketeer

For almost four decades, three words have defined Nike.

Just Do It wasn’t just a slogan; it was a cultural mantra that turned sneakers into symbols of self-belief.

But in 2025, Nike has flipped the script.

The brand now asks: Why Do It?

It’s a question aimed squarely at Gen Z — a generation Nike knows isn’t short of ambition but often paralysed by fear of failure, online comparison, and the myth of perfection.

From rallying cry to reality check

The Why Do It? campaign, developed with Wieden+Kennedy Portland, launches with a film narrated by Tyler, the Creator.

Instead of athletes celebrating victory, the spotlight falls on hesitation: the moment before a dive, a swing, a serve.

The athletes — Carlos Alcaraz, Caitlin Clark, LeBron James, Rayssa Leal, Qinwen Zheng and others — aren’t framed as superheroes.

They’re shown as human beings wrestling with doubt.

Nike’s message is that greatness is not an outcome.

It’s a decision, repeated daily.

“You won’t make every shot and you won’t win every game. But every time you step on the court and compete, you have a chance to be great,” Caitlin Clark says it bluntly.

That shift is crucial.

After years of chasing lifestyle cool, Nike is once again focusing on performance and the psychology of sport.

Why now?

Because Nike needed it.

The brand has been losing ground.

Revenue dropped 10% in its 2025 fiscal year, while challengers like On and Hoka have surged with younger consumers.

Internally, Nike has reorganised around Sport Offense — a strategy that doubles down on sport communities and athlete storytelling rather than fashion.

The turnaround has already produced sharper work: last year’s Winning Isn’t Comfortable campaign for runners, and February’s Super Bowl spot celebrating women athletes.

But Why Do It? goes further.

It takes Nike’s most sacred asset — the slogan itself — and reframes it for a new cultural climate.

“It’s about igniting that spark for a new generation, daring them to step forward with courage, trust in their own potential and discover the greatness that unfolds the moment they decide to begin,” asserts Nicole Graham, Nike’s returning CMO.

A line that moves with culture

Nike has always treated Just Do It as a living idea, not a frozen tagline.

In 1988, it was about inclusivity — personified by 80-year-old runner Walt Stack.

In 1995, it empowered young girls with If You Let Me Play.

In 2018, it took a political stance by backing Colin Kaepernick’s protests.

Each time, the line adapted to cultural anxieties.

Today, the anxiety is perfectionism.

And Nike’s answer is disarmingly simple: do it anyway.

What Malaysian marketers can learn

This isn’t just a Nike story.

It’s a case study in slogan stewardship.

The genius isn’t in abandoning the old line.

It’s in bending it to meet the moment.

We’ve seen similar tactics here.

PETRONAS refreshes the same theme of unity every Merdeka, adjusting tone for new generations.

Grab took “Keranamu Malaysia” and gave it a distinctly digital-age twist.

Coca-Cola localised Share a Coke with nicknames that Malaysians actually use.

The lesson: the best brand platforms don’t get retired.

They get reinterpreted.

When culture shifts, the line shifts with it.

For local brands, the harder question is this: do you have a platform strong enough to bend without breaking?

Or have you been chasing campaign-of-the-month slogans that burn out after a single flight?

Beyond sport

There’s also a human truth marketers shouldn’t ignore.

The campaign speaks not just to athletes, but to anyone afraid to start because they might fail.

That resonates in Malaysia’s boardrooms as much as in its badminton courts.

Young consumers here are shaped by the same Instagram anxiety as their global peers.

They’re hungry for brands that give them permission to try, stumble, and keep going.

Campaigns that only show perfection risk alienating them.

Campaigns that embrace vulnerability — and reframe failure as part of the process — will connect.

The bigger play

Nike’s turnaround is far from guaranteed.

Competition is fierce, and authenticity matters more than ever.

But in daring to question its own holy grail of a slogan, Nike has demonstrated something most brands fear: the courage to evolve without erasing history.

The line hasn’t been abandoned.

It has been recharged.

And in asking Why Do It?, Nike has reminded the world — and every marketer watching — that the strongest ideas are the ones flexible enough to answer back.