5 Takeaways from the New Megan Thee Stallion and Nike Marketing Campaign

Grammy-winning rap star Megan Thee Stallion can now add another title to her impressive resume: “Thee Hot Girl Coach” as she unveiled her new brand campaign with Nike.

The new campaign is part of Nike’s Play New series, which invites people to discover sports in new ways and define sport on their terms.

In the campaign’s short film, aptly titled “New Hotties,” Megan takes her audience on a journey. She brings her rise to fame all the way back to her childhood, where she highlights the struggles she faced “trying to find her way.”

Megan is a marketing maven who knows the power of her influence as a celebrity but also understands the power of storytelling and leveraging content to create an even deeper connection with her audience. But you don’t need to partner with or be a celebrity to start taking advantage of storytelling in your marketing. Here are five takeaways you can leverage from the Megan Thee Stallion and Nike’s marketing campaign.

1.) Clarify your message

Every brilliant marketing campaign starts with an idea. An idea that is taken and turned into a story that resonates with its intended audience and communicates a clear and consistent message.

Megan Thee Stallion’s brand collaboration with Nike centers around a message of empowerment and uplift. The campaign builds off Nike’s Play New campaign, which encourages finding joy in movement and play even if society doesn’t view you as a traditional athlete.

“People like to tell us what we can and cannot do. But we ain’t hearing that. Real hot girls know, no one can define us, but us,” Megan says in the video.

The message is clear—anyone can play new and define sport on their terms. As you’re thinking about your marketing campaigns, ask yourself:

What is the message you want to communicate to your audience?
How can you effectively communicate the value your product or service provides?
What are the key themes you want to weave into your message?

This overall message and the key messaging pillars are focal points of the campaign and help inform the delivery of the message and the story’s narrative.

2.) Tie your campaign message to a trending topic

One of the best ways to get attention from customers, prospects, and even the media is by tying your marketing campaign message to a trending topic that is relevant to your audience and product or service.

In Megan’s campaign video, the creative and marketing teams were able to build a connection between the overarching campaign message of “anyone can play new and define sport on their terms” and tie it together with key themes such as self-esteem, body positivity, and wellness. All of which are championed by Megan herself.

Prioritizing mental health and wellbeing has gained a lot more attention, especially in the wake of the pandemic as people began to reflect more about their priorities.

Body positivity and inclusivity are also themes being championed and embraced even more today because it resonates with large groups of people who struggle with those issues.

Other examples of larger themes and trending topics include sustainability and financial literacy.

It’s not always easy to make these connections, but it’s essential to see how your product or service fits into the large scope of what’s happening in the world.

Key tip: Ensure that the connection you make between a trending topic is authentic and resonates with your ideal audience.

3.) Create context through positioning

Nike is known globally as an athletic brand that sells sports and athletic gear. From the outside, you might think the brand is just for professional athletes. But Nike has mastered the art of positioning their products and tapping into new audiences through their messaging and brand campaigns.

They have managed to craft a message that appeals to almost anyone – “just do it.” And this central message is constantly weaved into their campaigns because it’s who they are.

Through their collaboration with Megan, they presented their brand in a slightly different light to appeal to an audience that aren’t professional athletes, but they love to try new things, explore, and keep fit.

Positioning allows you to create context for your product and appeal to different audiences.

4.) Tell a story

Megan’s video took viewers into her childhood and presented a story of a young girl struggling to find her way. Many of us can relate to this narrative of trying to figure things out.

Everybody loves a good story. Stories help us to create context, relate, and remember things. Stories also have an emotional appeal that taps into our own emotions and can help us to resonate and connect.

Brands that use storytelling in their marketing create a connection between the problems their audience is facing and the solutions they provide.

5.) Takeaways for you

Celebrity and influencer brand campaigns are taking off, but you don’t need to partner with a celebrity to start taking advantage of storytelling in your marketing. Just like Thee Hot Girl Coach, Megan, you can begin leveraging brand messaging and content in your marketing strategy to create a central message and story that resonates with your audience.

As Megan said, “Real hotties, put other hotties on.” Take a look at your messaging and positioning to make sure you’re leveraging the power of storytelling to create a connection between what you offer, the value it provides, and what your audience cares about.

Tiffany Trotter is a brand messaging and content strategist focused on helping entrepreneurs lean on the power of storytelling to clearly communicate with their audience, attract more clients and get more sales. She is also the author of Amazon #1 new release Brave Little Firsts: The Remarkable Firsts of Women from Around the World.