Signifier and Signified: A Study of Nike

Abstract

This project focuses on the strategies utilized by companies to market, or influence their clientele to partake in the consumption of their products, using Nike’s 30th anniversary “Just Do It” ad, as the prime example. This project will look into the “backend” of the dealings of many of these companies, with the hope to unveil the image of morality created by Nike, and it’s counterparts. For this project I will be analyzing and visualizing the way in which social media, using twitter as an example, has played a large part in most companies marketing offenses, specifically focusing on how the world has interacted with Colin Kaepernick and how Nike has associated itself to his image. This project also wishes to bring attention to and rekindle the relationship between the general public and their information, or data. It encourages us to claim authority over our digital footprint as well as the data being fed to us, as opposed to fearing it.