Nike: B2B Marketing Lessons from Lauren Fleshman’s Visionary “Objectify Me” Campaign with Kaite Rosa, Senior Director of Brand at Axonius

We’re willing to bet that you’re working on a new B2B campaign and require some new inspiration.

Because all B2B tech ads look and sound the same. They just melt into one shapeless, forgettable jumble of fingers typing and screens scrolling. But we see you plodding along in the B2B marketing marathon of sameness, and we’re throwing you some jet-boosted sneakers.

On this episode of Remarkable, we’re daring you to do the exact opposite of your competitors, to outsource the authenticity of your brand voice to your customers, and much, much more. And we’re doing that with the help of our special guest, Senior Director of Brand at Axonius, Kaite Rosa. 

Together, we’re exploring the iconic and visionary 2007 Nike ad campaign featuring pro runner Lauren Fleshman. We look at how the ad deviated from the “tasteful nude” status quo of female athletes in ads, dismantled the objectification of women in sports, and promoted inclusivity by leveraging Lauren’s voice. And how you too can subvert expectations, make a statement, and do it authentically. So lace up your new sneaks and get ready to redefine B2B ads on the latest episode of Remarkable.

About Nike’s “Objectify Me” Campaign

Nike’s “Objectify Me” campaign was a 2007 ad featuring pro runner Lauren Fleshman. It’s a 30-second black and white slow mo video of Lauren running toward the camera. And we hear Lauren’s voice. She says, “Look at me, study me, understand me. I’m not a small, pink version of a man. Don’t give me small, pink versions of a man’s running shoe. I’m Lauren Fleshman. I’m a runner, and I’m a woman.” Then it shows her running out of frame, and the Nike logo pops up on screen. It’s a really understated Nike ad that deviated FAR from its predecessors.

Lauren is a decorated distance runner. She won five NCAA championships at Stanford and two national championships as a professional athlete. She’s also a writer, having been featured in The New York Times and Runner’s World. Lauren is now Brand Strategy Advisor for fitness apparel company Oiselle, and Co-Founder of natural food company Picky Bars. Her book Good For a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World came out in January 2023.

About our guest, Kaite Rosa

Kaite Rosa is Senior Director of Brand at Axonius, where she leads the team responsible for creating a $2.6 billion brand in less than five years. Cited as one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity brands in history, Axonius has been named one of the most valuable private cloud companies in the world by the Forbes Cloud 100, along with numerous industry accolades.

A life-long writer, she is passionate about using storytelling and creative concepts to define and build exceptional brand experiences. She has spent the bulk of her career at tech startups, and thrives on rapidly growing, fast-paced teams. Previously, she led brand and content at Payfactors, Virgin Pulse, and VentureFizz.

What B2B Companies Can Learn From Nike’s “Objectify Me” Campaign: 

• Do the opposite of what’s expected. Look at what other companies in your space are doing in their campaigns and make a campaign based on the antithesis of that. Be the rebel in your industry. Subvert the expected. Kaite says so many brands feel like they have to join in on what’s popular or trending. She says, “There's a lot of, like, ‘Me too,’ right? Like, they're gonna copy it and try to make it their own, and look very similar. But what inspires me the most is looking at what your competitors are doing and doing the exact opposite.” It’s like how Lauren Fleshman was presented with a briefing inspired by Brandi Chastain’s “tasteful nude” ad, and advocated instead to be in her athletic gear and to write the ad copy herself. She turned the copy on its head, saying that if she was going to be objectified, it would be to design running gear specific to her physiology. And the campaign became iconic.
• Outsource authenticity to your customers. Make your customer’s voice your brand voice. Ian says marketers always want to control the narrative, but sometimes you need to let your customers take the wheel. Because he says that when you ask customers to talk about your brand in their own words, “They come up with something absolutely brilliant that you could never have written.” And how could that not be authentic? Nike was able to outsource the authenticity piece of Lauren’s ad because Lauren wrote the copy herself. For sure, there was a layer of brand approval, but the words are Lauren’s. So outsource the authenticity piece of your ad copy to customers, and it will resonate.

Quotes

*”Whether you're working in a bootstrapped company or publicly funded company. any budget can accommodate your customer voice.” - Kaite Rosa

*”If you're doing a high-level brand campaign, the approach shouldn't be, ‘Let's sell you all the features and benefits.’ It should be, ‘Let's get you in the store. Let's get you remembering who we are so that the next time you need those new sneakers or you need a B2B SaaS solution,  you remember the ad.’” - Kaite Rosa

*”What is memorable and where storytelling really comes alive is when you look at what's out there and say, ‘We're gonna do something that is disruptive, that is different. And I think that you can do that on any budget.” - Kaite Rosa

*“People latch on to the authenticity of brands. That's what drives you emotionally to a brand, is that it feels authentic. It resonates with you. And I think living and breathing your values in everything you do, if you're at a company with a culture that encourages that, that ties your values into everything you do, it comes naturally. Good marketing and good brands tap into those values.” - Kaite Rosa

Time Stamps

[1:37] Get to know Kaite Rosa, Senior Director of Brand at Axonius

[2:14] Tell me more about Nike’s “Objectify Me” campaign

[8:04] About athletic advertising before Lauren Fleshman’s campaign

[12:23] About the timelessness of the “Objectify Me” ad

[14:23] Why challenging the status quo is important

[23:27] How to ground your message in values

[24:53] What does Axonius do?

[25:42] What’s Axonius’ brand strategy?

[26:41] How does Kaite think about the ROI of content marketing?

[27:14] Learn more about Axonius’ “Controlling Complexity” campaign with gymnast Simone Biles

Links

See Nike’s Objectify Me ad with Lauren Fleshman

Connect with Kaite Rosa on LinkedIn

Learn more about Axonius

Check out the Axonius campaign with Simone Biles

About Remarkable!

Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both non-fiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com. 

In today’s episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios), Dane Eckerle (Head of Development), Colin Stamps (Podcast Launch Manager), Anagha Das (B2B Content Marketing Manager), and Meredith O’Neil (Senior Producer). Remarkable was produced this week by Meredith O’Neil, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK. 

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