In 1988, Nike executives sat around a conference table and listened to a pitch.
It was quiet. Then awkward. Then flat-out hostile.
“Just Do It”?
“It’s lazy.”
“It doesn’t mean anything.”
“What does this have to do with shoes?”
They hated it.
But ad man Dan Wieden didn’t flinch. He wasn’t pitching a slogan.
He was starting a movement.
From Execution Chamber to Global Campaign
The phrase had a dark origin.
Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore said “Let’s do it” before his execution. Wieden saw something raw in it.
Something real.
He changed it to “Just Do It.”
And the room fell silent — again.
It Wasn’t About Shoes
Wieden understood something Nike didn’t — yet.
He wasn’t speaking to athletes. He was speaking to anyone who’d ever said:
“I’m too tired.”
“I’m too old.”
“I’m not good enough.”
Just Do It wasn’t a command. It was a response — to self-doubt, to fear, to excuses.
Nike wasn’t selling sneakers.
They were selling permission to try.
The Risk That Changed Everything
Nike did something no other brand would dare.
They 6X’d their ad budget — from $8 million to $48 million — to back a line everyone in the boardroom had just trashed.
The first ad?
Not Jordan. Not Tiger.
Walt Stack — an 80-year-old who ran 17 miles every morning.
No frills. No gear. Just grit.
It said: If he can do it, what’s stopping you?
Controversy Became Currency
Then Nike leaned into the edges:
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Michael Jordan’s shoes were banned — Nike paid the $5K fines just to keep him in them.
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Bo Jackson redefined training with “Bo Knows”
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Charles Barkley said “I’m not a role model” — and lit up the media
Every ad stirred debate. Every debate spread the brand.
The critics became the marketers.
From Rejection to Revolution
Nike’s revenue jumped from $877M to over $50B.
But more than numbers, they redefined what a brand could be.
They didn’t just sell sneakers.
They sold the belief that action — any action — was worth it.
