Just Do It.

To most of us, this reminds us of Nike. Of course, it is there slogan. A slogan that Dan Weiden coined for a 1988 Nike as campaign. Since then the slogan has been seen everywhere and has been used for everything. It was also chosen as by Advertising Age as one of the top 5 slogans of the 20th century. On October 3rd, 1989, Nike officially trademarked the slogan.

While this is information that most of you already know, the reason I am writing about the 'Just Do It' slogan is to discuss where the idea originated from.

Does the name Gary Gilmore mean anything to you? Gary Gilmore might have been the best thing to ever happened to Nike, even though he has nothing to do with the company. Gilmore was actually a criminal who was born in Waco, Texas in 1940. He was a spree killer who had multiple felony charges against him, including two counts of murder. He gained international attention when he demanded that he be executed after committing the two murders.

So what exactly does Gary Gilmore have to do with Nike? On the day of his execution, January 17,1977, when asked if he had any final words, Gilmore yelled, "Let's Do It." These final words were the inspiration for Dan Weiden when he came up with the slogan 'Just Do It.'

It is unbelievable how a man's last words have led to a slogan that has changed the world. Think about it. Three words, 'Just Do It,' has changed the lives of many and single-handedly changed advertising.

Below are a few ads that I found online for the Nike 'Just Do It' campaign.

Enjoy.

Thanks for tuning in...
Jose