Laolu Daranijo's Blog

From Social Media Usage to Quality of Shoes, Here’s Why Nike is Better Than Adidas

Adidas may have Beyonce, but Nike has Lebron Raymone James. (I bet you didn’t know that was his middle name either.) That’s besides the point, Nike generates more discussion and traction on social media than Adidas does. Their extremely inspiring content motivates millions of people across the globe to be the incredible athletes we couldn’t know we could be. In this post, I will be comparing the Social Media usage of Nike and Adidas, enlightening you on why Nike does it best.

Checks Over Stripes!

As I mentioned in my first blog post, Nike hasn’t been very consistent with their Facebook usage. Apparently though, neither is Adidas across their social media Platforms. As my classmate Andrew discovered, “Adidas and Adidas Originals are not really that active on Instagram,” check out his post if you want to learn more about Adidas’ Social Media practices. Nike may not be consistent. They are definitely smart with their Social Media Usage. Sprout Social claims that the best time to post is on Wednesdays at 11am and it’s no coincidence that Nike posted the following ad at that exact time.

This practice shows Nike’s awareness and is probably the reason why they generate more revenue and ultimately more traction on Social Media.

“IMpOsSiBblE iS nOtHiNG” or “JUST DO IT”

First of all, “Impossible is Nothing”? I was today years old when I found out that was Adidas’ slogan. There’s something to be said about the power around the words, “Just Do It.” Ultimately, brands want consumers to remember them for something and Nike has done particularly well using this slogan as a motivational phrase. This is perhaps why the content across Nike’s Social Media is a lot more inspirational than that of Adidas.

I posted this on my most recent blog post and it was only fitting that you see it again. To reiterate, this post makes me want to defy all odds and become a professional soccer player. Nike gives the impression that no one said it was going to be easy but it can still be done. As my classmate Steve mentioned in his first blog post, Nike focuses on inspiration and this is a good Social Media Practice. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that Adidas adds value to their brand with posts as my classmate Evan found in his blog post.

According to HubSpot’s “The Ultimate Guide to Using Twitter for Business in 2020” adding value is one of the best practices for brands to follow. The true value comes from the picture above. Users value inspirational pictures of athletes tearing it up in their various athletic endeavours, I know I do. Nike does a better job of providing content that users want to see as we scroll our Twitter feeds.

I have a couple of Adidas shoes, but I probably have way too much Nike apparel. Their inspirational and effective content is a big reason for that. Leave a comment and tell me what you think about Nike and Adidas’ Social Media usage, let’s talk about it!

3 Factors Affecting Nike’s Reach on Social Media

In my last post, I revealed just how poor Nike’s use of Facebook is. The official Nike page isn’t using a massive platform to their advantage and in this post, I looked into their use of other platforms and, good news, while Nike still isn’t as consistent with their posts and engagement on other platforms, at least they have posted within the last year and a half on Twitter and on Instagram. Here is one way Nike is doing it right and two ways they can improve their social media usage.

Nike Posts Make Me Want To Run Through A Wall

No, not literally. But the content across their pages is so inspirational, I literally can’t wait to see the next advert Nike puts out. Their genuine commitment to diversity and their constant display motivates me to be the best person and the best athlete I could possibly be. Here is Nike’s last post on Twitter:

I MEAN…

Does this not make you want to run right through a wall in order to achieve whatever athletic dream you may have? Maybe I am exaggerating but the display of Nike athletes conquering their various sports while in difficult and different situations says a lot about the admirability of their brand. As my classmate Steve mentioned, Nike focuses on inspiration. He discovered that their social media team works to develop content that will consistently move and inspire their audience. Check his post out if you want to know more about Nike on Twitter.

Why SO Inconsistent?

Nike is a massive organization and the fact is social media can still do a lot for their reach. It seems like they don’t realise that they need to post more often on all platforms… or maybe they don’t? Because I will probably buy Nike cleats soon regardless of their number of posts. I’m sure you can all relate when I say, I haven’t made my last Nike purchase. Although, a study by Meltwater claims that organizations should post 10 times a day on Twitter. Nike posts about once every 9 days on Twitter. However, the trend they have developed is posting on an occasion where a Nike athlete has achieved something. I just feel like Nike could be doing more in terms of how often they post, it wouldn’t hurt to provide more of that content that makes users like me want to run through a wall. I know I wouldn’t complain if I saw inspirational posts on my timeline everyday, I’m a college student. We could all use some inspiration from time to time.

Where Is The Love?

Nike shows no love in terms of engagement. As my classmate Dan discovered on Nike’s Instagram page, Nike rarely, if ever, replies to people’s comments under their posts. Check his post out for more of Nike’s Instagram practices. A study by Social Media Examiner claims that brands should be ready to answer questions and comments. This is seen as a best practice on social media but Nike is simply slacking. Customers feel more connected when their comments and questions are replied, I know I would gain a weird attachment to a company’s social media if they ever replied to me. The important thing is making customers feel like their voice is heard, I think that says a lot about a brand and their customer care. If one person had their comment replied to, it would create a domino effect where more users would want to comment and that will ultimately increase the reach of a brand but Nike doesn’t seem to care about engagement on social media. The truth is the company is bringing in a LOT of money regardless of if they replied to a certain Christina’s comment on their post. Although, why don’t they want MORE?

Nike is an incredible brand and I believe they could easily better this organisation by improving their social media usage. What do you think? Is Nike doing enough across the big three platforms? Leave a comment! Let’s talk about it.

Is Nike Missing Out on The Reach of The Massive Platform That is Facebook?

Ironically enough, although I am in a social media course, I just deleted all my social media. I realized I spent way too much time on my phone and it only feels like I have 100 exams and interviews this week 🙂 The fact is that social media connects an entire globe with the use of technology that is in the majority of our pockets. One share or one view can bring in revenue for a company and every business should use this to their advantage.

Love Nike’s Shoes. Their Facebook — Not Really…

Although I am writing this post for a social media class and quite frankly, looking forward to sharing my findings on the Facebook usage of my favorite Athletic brand, Nike. I am in love with the design of almost every Nike shoe but the organization could do a much better job with their Facebook presence and how they engage with customers on Social media.

According to Meltwater’s “How Often Should You Post on Social Media,” companies should choose a routine and be consistent. Guys, Nike hasn’t posted on Facebook since the year Lil NasX released his famous single “Old Town Road”. I guess now that I write that, it wasn’t such a long time ago. But to be more specific, the official Nike page on Facebook hasn’t posted since August 21, 2018. While Facebook may not exactly be what’s “in” right now, it is the leading social media platform and there are 2.45 billion monthly active users on Facebook. Nike’s content on Facebook is extremely inspirational and it’s rather odd that they haven’t made one single post since 2018. While the same study by Meltwater claims that companies should post once a day or less, I don’t think one of the biggest Athletic organisations in the world should be that absent on the biggest social media platform in the world. Although, my next purchase will probably be a pair of Air Maxs, I think Nike’s lack of engagement on Facebook is a very bad social media practice as they could be reaching so many more customers.

Just DO IT?

Hootsuite’s study of Social Media, “There Are More Social Media Users Today Than There Were People in 1971” has a big bold subtitle that says “Facebook Still Dominates,” so it is clear that despite the fact that many people I know may say they haven’t used Facebook in a while, there are people that still do. Meltwater’s study claims that the most consistent engagement on Facebook is between 9 am to 3 pm on weekdays but Nike doesn’t have much engagement in their comment section. I believe there should at least be the occasional reply by organisations as this goes a long way. I know I want to feel like my voice is heard, if they replied to a comment once in a while it would be very beneficial to the reputation of the brand. I know everyone knows how great Wendy’s social media is and that is due to the fact that they interact with their customers.

It would be wrong to make it through this entire post without commending some of the wonderful content Nike does have on their Facebook page. SproutSocial claims the best time to post is on Wednesday at 11am and in my audit, Nike posted an advert at this exact time… Can’t be a coincidence right? This advert served to introduce the Nike Flyknit Bra for women and it had 5.7K likes. Nike only seems to post when they commend the accomplishments of one of their sponsored athletes and that is why they have such a sporadic posting schedule on Facebook but this post showed that they still care about how they engage with customers on social media.

So what do you think? I know big companies can perhaps get away with inconsistent social media usage and maybe Nike is doing so right before our eyes. However, should they be more consistent? Leave some comments! Let’s talk about it because regardless of their Facebook usage, I know they will remain my favourite Athletic brand.