Pssst…You’re Not Always In Control
Nike’s Success and the Impact of Culture
The insight that came to encompass Nike in its entirety, was grounded in centerpiece of sports within American culture. It was the insight that helped Nike create a strategy from which came great slogans like “Just Do It”, and “Believe in Something”. It also led to a campaign called “Unlimited” which encouraged people of all abilities and in tandem with a film called “Unlimited You” that featured well known people who had achieved great things along with who Nike considered the real stars – regular men, women, and children.
Nike’s brilliant two-pronged move fit hand in glove with a new version of f American culture. Nike inspired and re-affirmed the belief that no matter who you were or what race you were from, women, men , and children through dedication and hard work could achieve anything. It was an American dream that now included everyone. To underscore that point, Nike signed up the greatest athletes that included women, different ethnicities, and multiple types of sports to reflect that belief.
The Mysterious Alchemy of Nike’s Success
Still, no one has really been able to explain how Nike grew to a level of success beyond imagination. Like Bowerman and his running shoes, we’ve tried countless times deconstruct and reconstruct Nike to figure out how it was made. All we know it wasn’t just one thing. Nike was an undefinable combination of many things. Much in the same way, culture can’t be deconstructed and reconstructed because it is always in the process of changing and redefining itself along the way. It wasn’t that Nike had become a part of American culture. Nike instead melded with and mirrored American culture as it went through its changes. Nike’s founders Knight and Bowerman, were themselves an offspring of American culture and expressed through their running shoes the same American values found culture of sports, which in their case was running. That could explain how Nike was able to expand to cover all sports through which they the were able to eventually root themselves into an entire nation. Because of Nikes relationship with American culture, they were a mirror of America’s self-identify that was reflected back to itself. In turn, that had an influence on American culture that was then was reflected back to Nike. The company, informed by the changes they saw in that reflection, incorporated it into new shoe designs which, of course, mirrored American culture to itself. . And so it goes. It’s like changing the wheels on a moving car. One could say that Nike and American culture have a symbiotic relationship. If that’s the case, Nike’s mysterious alchemy that transformed Nike into a legend will forever im a mystery.
Obviously, Nike’s intertwined relationship with culture can’t take all the credit for the company’s success. There were other important factors such as the role Japan played in the early days, Nike’s business management and operations, its financial management, logistics, a large, strong, and committed work force, etc. Without those there would be no Nike. That said, Nike’s involvement and insight into America’s ever-evolving cultural and subcultural mindset combined with Nike’s timeless mantra, certainly made a significant contribution to Nike’s success. One can make the argument that it was the fuel for Nike to become the $192 billion-dollar megalithic company of today. Not bad for a couple of crazy founders in Oregon, that started out with only $300, and sold running shoes out of the trunk of a car.
Brands Are People Too
When it comes to brand identity the question isn’t “what” a brand is as much as it’s “who” a brand is. Obviously, to be successful. a brand has to function and fill a need or desire in the marketplace. But that’s just table stakes. It also has to have the ability to draw people to itself. Nothing does that better than magnatism. It’s the power of personification.
We gravitate towards brands that define and convey human traits. And we are prone to form a longer lasting connection with brands that share the same human traits as those people with whom it resonates, fascinates, and inspires. It’s either just like them or who they aspire to be..
Brands that project characteristics of real people attract us. After all, it’s hard for a brand to form a chemistry with a market if that brand doesn’t have any human traits that create a reaction. Think about someone you know. The first person that comes to mind is probably holding a memorable place in your psyche. What would be an instantaneous one-word description of that person? Smart? Quirky? Caring? Tough? Sophisticated? Playful? Serious? Captivating? Now think about how that person speaks, behaves, dresses, and moves. Chances are you can recognize him or her in a crowded room.
Genuine human traits that resonate is the first step towards a unique chemisty with people. After that, a brand is well on its way to alchemy.
Think Like A Fly Fisherman
My father was an inveterate fly fisherman. He’d walk and wade a trout stream for hours to understand all its nuances. Then he would return day after day to study the shifts and changes in its characteristics. When he wasn’t doing that, my father would be huddled over a magnifying glass tying a specific kind of fly that the trout were looking for that day. Figuring out exactly the right fly to use to attract a trout and then get it to bite is central to the art of fly fishing. So, not getting it right means going home with an empty fishing creel.
Niche Marketing is Like Fly Fishing
WWAGFFD or What Would a Fly Fisherman Do? First a seasoned fly fisherman spends a lot of time investigating and observing the trout stream. It’s the only one way to get a deep understanding of that special trout audience. It’s the same for niche marketing. Completely immerse yourself into everything about that niche market. Do it right and you’ll gain valuable insight into what that unique audience wants, needs, desires, and how it behaves behaves. In other words, gain insight into the things that make your niche customers tick. It’s the only way you’ll be able to reel them in.
You Need Niche Insights to Attract Niche Customers
Real fly fishermen tie their own flies. That’s because each fly must look exactly like what a trout wants in order for it to bite. What does that mean? Good question. You gotta talk to the fish. However, once you get a sense of what those particular fish are seeking to find, you can use the perfect fly to reel them in.
Test the niche market waters by creating some different “flies” to see what draws attention. Does your audience show little no interest in what’s being dangled? It might mean that there’s not a niche audience for your business. Don’t give up yet. Good chance you don’t completely understand what that fly needs to look like. It’s not that there’s no niche fish. It’s that the right signal isn’t being given to appeal to that niche fish. Try a different fly.
Spot-on insights for niche markets are even more important than those for conventional mass markets businesses. Niche markets require a highly individualized approach that speaks to a select group of customers with a specific interest. Mass market businesses pursue large swaths of market audiences. While mass market businesses still must know their customers well, they don’t need the level of unique insight to connect with devout niche audience interests. These special audiences will only respond to something that speaks their niche language and understands all the attributes of their niche culture. And remember, this audience is also willing to pay more for things that are hard for them to find. Good insights will allow you to create exactly the right niche products and messaging to pull in customers. Put those niche insights to work and you’ll have a feeding frenzy on your hands!
The Art of the Question
Question-asking is not as simple as it seems. There’s an art to it. How they are asked have a significant impact on the accuracy and quality of the answers. The people that inhabit your market have unique and specific perspectives. Which means your questions have to be spot-on.
Here are some question-asking pitfalls to be aware of:
Don’t Ask Why
We often don’t really know exactly why we like, feel, or perceive something. Our knee jerk answers lie on the surface of our awareness. Nothing wrong to begin with asking “Why?” After all, that’s what you want to know. However the responses that give us insight to human behavior lie far beneath the “Why”. The real driver of our behavior often difficult to put into words. Ever had trouble finding the words to capture what you think or feel? Welcome to the club.
Spotlighting
Generally speaking, most of us don’t like drawing attention to ourselves. We also don’t want to answer a question in a way that may portray ourselves in a bad light. It’s safer to say something similar to what others say.
“What do you typically give your children for dinner?” A mother may not say “McDonald’s” or “Chef Boyardee and a Coke”. She may be concerned that response could make her look like a bad mother. Chances are the response will be geared to a dinner that sounds healthier. It would be better to ask, “What do your children usually want for dinner”. It takes the focus off her as a mother and shifts it to her children. You’ll spend less time overcoming evasion and defensiveness and more time on the real problem.
Show Don’t Tell
Because of the Curse of Knowledge, we forget that other people may not know the same things as we do. For instance, making oatmeal. “Tell me how you make oatmeal.” Someone who has made oatmeal many times, will unintentionally give vague or incomplete information. It’s hard to unlearn what we know. You know those assembly instructions that reduced you to tears? Obviously whoever wrote them didn’t keep in mind that you’ve never assembled a swing set. Instead, have people show rather than tell you how they do something. You’ll find that showing is infinately more revealing than telling
Avoid Yes/No Questions
Do you like dogs? “No”. “Are organic foods good for you? “Yes”. Nothing wrong with asking yes/no questions, but be aware the more you ask close ended questions, the harder it will be to get people to give you more meaning responses. Better to ask questions that will springboard your queries into deeper waters. “What’s the difference between organic and processed food?”
Don’t Expect Words to Capture Feelings
It’s difficult to for us to explain our feelings to others. Sometimes it’s hard for usd to go beyond “it makes me feel good/bad”. Feelings usually aren’t that simple. For example, “Describe your feelings when you finally lose those last 5 pounds”. Don’t be surprised by a simple answer like “It makes me happy”. You’re better off providing another form of expression. Give people a pile of supplies to create a feeling. Using playdough, crayons, construciton paper, pictures, glue, scissors, yarn, etc. is one way to help them accurately articulate emotion.
Silence Can Be Golden
It’s called “holding the space”. It means giving someone the time they need to answer. He or she may need a little to think. Thoughtful answers translate into thoughtful insights. Of course fill the space if someone displays discomfort with silence. But more often than not, the question-asker is the one feeling uncomfortable with a little silence while the other respondent is busy thinking about what he or she wants to say. Either way, avoid peppering study participants with questions one right after the other. Give them time to think.
Some Helpful Tips for Question-Asking
- Think about questions in terms of who, what, where, and how. Also, think of action words for the beginning of your question such as “describe” “tell” “show” “give”. This will help you avoid yes/no responses.
-
Pictures are a great tool for going beyond the obvious. Avoid using too many photos with expected associations. Mountains are typically associated with strength or an obstacle. A windowpane with raindrop is often interpreted as sadness. Include some photos where you have no idea what the images could possibly mean. You’ll be surprised at how many people can assign meaning to a wine cork.
-
If you’re uncomfortable with holding the space for an answer, practice in everyday conversation. Train yourself to wait a few moments in silence. For those us who find conversational silence difficult, here’s a little trick. Place your index finger vertically across your lips and nod your head in a way that looks like you’re listening. Doing that will keep you from filling in those few moments of silence.
Practice Makes Perfect
When bow and arrow enthusiasts hit a bullseye, they say “money”. So, when it comes to question-asking, pay attention to how you ask them. Practice your question-asking skills in everyday conversation. Learn to do it well, and you’ll be saying “money” too.
Asking questions about what we want to know seems pretty straight forward. Truth is, how those questions are asked has a significant impact on the accuracy and quality of the responses. Question-asking is not as simple as it seems. There’s an art to it.
Good questions are particularly important in niche markets. The people in those markets have unique and specific perspectives. That’s what niche markets are all about. Which means everything about your product, brand identity, messaging, plus channels of communication and distribution, have to be spot-on.
Here are some question-asking pitfalls to be aware of:
Don’t Ask Why
“Why do you like candy?’ “Why do you go to movie theaters?” Obvious responses lead to obvious insights. Do you really want to spend money to learn, “Because candy is sweet” or “I like movie screens and the popcorn”? In addition, we often don’t really know why we like, feel, or perceive something. Those answers tend to lie beneath the surface of our awareness. And even if there’s an awareness of a deeper resonating reason, it’s often difficult to put into words. Ever had trouble finding the words to capture what you think or feel? Welcome to the club.
Not Everyone Likes the Spotlight
Generally speaking, we don’t like drawing attention to ourselves in front of others. We also don’t want to answer a question in a way that risks portraying ourselves in a bad light. It’s safer to say something similar to what others say.
“What do you typically give your children for dinner?” A mother may not say “McDonald’s” or “Chef Boyardee and a Coke”. She may be concerned that response could make her look like a bad mother. Chances are the response will be geared to a dinner that sounds healthier. It would be better to ask, “What do your children usually want for dinner”. It takes the focus off her as a mother and shifts it to her children. And you get to the problem faster. You’ll spend less time overcoming defensiveness and more time on the real problem. Most likely it has to do with getting her kids to eat healthy meals, and having to throw away what they don’t eat (translation – healthy food will cost more money).
Show Don’t Tell
Because of the Curse of Knowledge, we forget that other people may not know the same things as we do. For instance, making oatmeal. “Tell me how you make oatmeal.” Someone who has made oatmeal many times, will unintentionally give vague or incomplete information. We can’t unlearn what we know. You know those assembly instructions that reduced you to tears? Whoever wrote didn’t keep in mind that you’ve never assembled a swing set before. To get a response that fully captures certain kinds of behaviors, have people show you how they do something. You’ll find that showing is infinitely better than telling.
Avoid Yes/No Questions
Do you like dogs? “No”. “Are organic foods good for you? “Yes”. Not very revealing, is it? Better to ask questions that will springboard your queries into deeper waters. “Can you tell a difference between organic foods and processed food?”
Don’t Expect Words to Capture Feelings
It’s difficult to for us to explain our feelings to others. Sometimes it’s hard for someone to go beyond “it makes me feel good/bad”. Feelings usually aren’t that simple. For example, “Describe your feelings when you finally lose those last 5 pounds”. Don’t be surprised by a simple answer like “It makes me happy”. Give people a pile of supplies to create a feeling. Using playdough, crayons, construciton paper, pictures, glue, scissors, yarn, etc. is one way to help them express the nuances of emotion.
Silence Can Be Golden
It’s called “holding the space”. It means giving someone the time they need to answer. He or she may need a little to think. Thoughtful answers translate into thoughtful insights. Of course fill the space if someone displays discomfort with silence. But sometimes you might be the one that’s uncomfortable with a few moments of silence while the other person is busy thinking about what he or she wants to say. Either way, avoid peppering study participants with questions one right after the other. Give them time to think.
Some Helpful Tips for Question-Asking
- Think about questions in terms of who, what, where, and how. Also, think of action words for the beginning of your question such as “describe” “tell” “show” “give”. This will help you avoid yes/no responses.
-
Pictures are a great tool for going beyond the obvious. Avoid using too many photos with expected associations. Mountains are typically associated with strength or an obstacle. A windowpane with raindrop is often interpreted as sadness. Include some photos where you have no idea what the images could possibly mean. You’ll be surprised at how many people can assign meaning to a wine cork.
-
If you’re uncomfortable with holding the space for an answer, practice in everyday conversation. Train yourself to wait a few moments in silence. For those us who find conversational silence difficult, here’s a little trick. Place your index finger vertically across your lips and nod your head in a way that looks like you’re listening. Doing that will keep you from filling in those few moments of silence.
Practice Makes Perfect
When bow and arrow enthusiasts hit a bullseye, they say “money”. So, when it comes to question-asking, pay attention to how you ask them. Practice your question-asking skills in everyday conversation. Learn to do it well, and you’ll be saying “money” too.
A recent survey asked 20 to 60-year-olds what decade they thought was the best to live in, or wish they had lived in. The majority of decades deemed best to live were from the 1970s to the 2000s. Two things about these results were particularly striking societal commentaries. First, across the board all respondents said that how they experienced life went all downhill after 2010. One participant summed it all up as “it sucked”. Interestingly enough, despite shoulder pads, glam rock, the age of greed, and yuppies, nearly all the 20-year-olds wished they had lived in the 1980’s. In fact, many of them expressed a sense of loss.
Conversely, post-2010 was hands down the worst decade. And all for the same reason: an ever-increasing presence and use of the internet and digital technologies. Life was on a fast forward that left childhood behind in the dust.
For those who chose the 1980’s being a teenager seemed deeper, richer, and more remarkable. Many yearned for real friendships (versus facebook friends) within a close-knit group of friends, in-person social interactions, and sharing experiences firsthand with others. It felt like something that no longer existed – the individual meaningful experinces sandwiched between carefree kid and adulthood. This was supposed to be significant and memorable threshold that was, in one way or another, shared by all teens. “Brat Pack” film, TV shows like Friends, music, and the storied pasts of those who grew up in the 80’s.
In fact, these 20-somethings had sense of loss. This age group felt like they missed out on what their teenage experience could have been. From their perspective, the 1980’s were united by coming of age alongside each other. It was a time when life when they were free from the internet, life was simpler, people were nicer, and the music was better. Camelot-like in nature, the 80’s far more fun, exciting, interesting, and memorable than the lives they knew.
Here are the rankings for the best decade to live in from 1900s – 2020s accompanied by some survey comments that captured respondents overall perceptions and sentiments.
#1. The 1980s
“Mixed tapes! I loved listening to the American top 40 and recording all my favorite songs”.
“…life was simple. Helping one another was the normal and we didn’t believe in bullying”.
“The 80s seemed such a fun and prosperous time.”
“…no internet and no chat rooms. People socialized outside. They went to parties and evening dances. We just don’t have that…”
“…from what I’ve seen in movies and read in biographies, the 80s were the best in the US.”
“I was born in the wrong generation. I love all the music from the 80s, like Nirvana, Led Zeplin and Pink Floyd. I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN A TEEN IN THE 80’s!
- The 1990s
“It was probably the most peaceful of any decade in the last 100 years. Everyone had money and everyone was (relatively! ) happy.”
“…we had mobile phones and the Internet but they hadn’t taken over our lives yet and we got great movies and T.V. shows”.
- The 2000s
“… grew up in the 2000’s, it was great. Technology was not abused, and it was lighter. There wasn’t so much pressure. It was like a prolonged 20th century.”
“… there was a hopeful outlook for the future, particularly with the progress being made in science, technology and egalitarianism.”
“Enough technology that we could find out things, it wasn’t until the 2010s that the internet completely ruined everything.”
- The 1970s
“The best music was spawned in the 70’s. Musicians actually played instruments we used record players and not digital music.”
“People seemed very casual in the 70s.”
“The 70s had THE BEST cars. You can’t say there’s anything cooler than a bright red 1973 Plymouth ‘Hemi Cuda with yellow flames and slick tires with stripes on the sidewalls.”
“The Vietnam War ended. A new realism in movies, T.V., music, and comedy. It was the 60s dressed in a Leisure Suit, in a good way.“
- The 1960s
“Great Music and hippie culture. – The Beatles (Need I say more).”
“First Wave feminism and less of a class based society in Britain.“
“…we may of been poorer but life had a cadence to it.”
- The 2010s
“…got broken by the information overload, fakeness and health crisis of the 2020s.”
“I say that any decade before 2010 is a good decade.”
“Kids don’t act like kids anymore instead they act like they’re a bunch of adults with boyfriends and iPhone 6s, the 2010s sucks.”
- The 1950s
“1950’s was an amazing decade! WWII was over and US citizens benefited greatly from this victory. The dollar stretched far & wide, the cars looked tough and were super affordable.“
“As a white man, the ’50s may have been the best decade to grow up in. As a black man, the ’50s easily ranks at the bottom of the list.”
“Cool music and fashion but not the best time to live in if you are a person of color, LGBTQ+, or even a woman.”
- The 1920s
“1920s! The time when everybody wore suits and dresses, people had so much class. They were very polite. Like bro. I’d give second to the 70s and third to the 90s. Then the fifties.“
“It was all about the party back then. Murders? What murders? Oh, yeah I forgot about the gangsters and polio. At least we were classy.“
“I agree, it was classy. The flappers were pretty cool too. I wish people were as elegant nowadays“
- The 1900s
“Far from the best but this decade looked better than the horror that was the 1930s or WWI throughout the 1910s ( 1910-1913 and 1919 looked okay though ).“
- The 1940s
“Wartime decade in the history. Compares to the worst decade of 2010s or so and 2020.”
“Yeah, probably not the best time period to live in if you were German, Jewish, Russian, British, Polish or Chinese…”
What is it about the 80’s that those 20-somethings perceive they missed out on that was so important? What is it that they are really yearning for? It’s not just 20-year-olds either. People in other age groups, although not as many, also said the 80s was the best decade to live in. While there was a wide range of respondent age and decade periods, all participants had something in common. Their choice of decade was driven from the perspective of a teenager. Given the nature of that time of transition from kid to man and womanhood, it’s no surprised that our teenage experience becomes deeply rooted in our psyche.
Latinx, Latino, or Hispanic? It Depends.
Does whether to use Latinx, Latino, or Hispanic have you walking on eggshells? You’re not alone.
Many people use Hispanic and Latino interchangeably. Latinx gets a fair amount of attention in college university environments as a monolithic term but is a matter of self-identity for Latino LGBT communities. What they all have in common is that we all worry about commiting a cultural offense. However, these three words aren’t as tangled up as it might seem. If you want to be precise in the use of Latino and Hispanic, here’s how it works: Hispanic is based on language. Latino is based on territory. Latinx about using gender-neutral language.
The Meaning of Hispanic
Basically, Hispanic refers to those of Spanish speaking descent, or Spanish-speaking parts of Spain, Latin America, or the Caribbean. Add to that people who descend from Spanish language countries such as Mexicans, Cuban, Venezuelans, Colombians, all be called Hispanic. Although Hispanic is defined by language, those who with roots in Spanish speaking countries don’t need to speak it. So, someone who is Mexican-German can be referred to as Hispanic no matter what language is spoken. Hispanic was added to the US census in 1980 to address the rapidly growing population of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans living in the. United States.
What Does Latino Mean?
People whose origins are in Latin America are described as Latino (male) or Latina (female). Like Hispanics, Latinos it doesn’t matter if he or she speaks Spanish. The census eventually realized in 2000 that Hispanic excluded people of Latin America which, 20 years after Hispanic, resulted in Latino being added to the list.
How About Latinx?
Latinx emerged in the early 2000 as a way for non-binary gender Latin-Americans to identify themselves. More specifically it was used in the LGBT community as a means of challenging the use of masculine and feminine inflections in the Spanish language. From there the meaning of Latinx morphed into a label used to identify anyone of all Latinos/Hispanics First Latinx was used by academia, university students, and in turn the LGBT community. Next came the progressives who started using Latinx and then it caught on within the general American population.
The word “Latinx” was never meant to address the entire Hispanic population. The key idea at the heart of Latinx is the concept of self-identity. Originally Latinx was created as a means of self-identification for members of the Latino LGBT community. Latinx evolved organically as a word that Latino LGBT movement consciously chose for themselves.
A number of articles have been written about how Latinx is offensive to Latinos/Hispanics, and that it’s a divisive word that’s causing a rift within them. The truth is the majority of Latinos/Hispanics couldn’t care less about Latinx.
I discovered this to be true when I was spending some time in Mexico and asked a friend if he preferred to be called Hispanic, Latino, or Latinx. He looked at me with an expression on his face like, “What’s the matter with you?” Then he simply replied, “I’m Mexican.”
Here is a link to a great explanation of “Latinx” by language researcher and respected author, Dr. Jose Medina.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/60-million-americans-call-latinx-82278818
So, should you use Latinx, Latino, or Hispanic?. According to a 2020 Pew Research report the majority (61%) of people of Spanish speaking country descent say they prefer Hispanic to describe the Hispanic or Latino population in the U.S., and 29% say they prefer Latino. Good chance those in Latino LGBT community will most likely prefer Latinx Hence, you’d probably be safe with using Hispanic. Or you can always ask people if they prefer Hispanic, Latino/a or Latinx. However, don’t worry too much about whether to use Latinx when speaking to someone who is Hispanic/Latino. Given that on a national scale only 4% of U.S. Hispanics say Latinx, chances are most Hispanics and Latinos will be unfamiliar with the term. What do you call someone who is Mexican? According to my friend, “Mexican, silly.”