The creator analyzes the trend of large brands copying ideas from smaller, independent creators. She uses the recent example of Nike's 'After Dark Tour' format mirroring Bandit Running's 'Grand Prix' as a starting point, then provides further evidence with cases like Under Armour vs. Gumtree Golf, Nike vs. Satisfy, and Peloton vs. Ladder, using screenshots and video clips as proof. She concludes with a call to action for marketers at large brands to be more intentional and original with their inspiration.
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No idea is completely original, but lately it’s been easier to draw lines back to the original moodboard
I wanna talk about this broader thing we’ve been seeing a LOT with big brands -
The unfortunate copy/paste playbook we’ve seen before, intentional or no, in varying degrees of blatancy:
Smaller brands or creators take a risk.
It catches heat.
The legacy brand remixes it or just… straight cops it.
And hey - I know and truly respect quite a few people who work in marketing at these larger brands and I *love* the work you do.
You all know *more than most* the sheer amount of work these events, campaigns, and creative require
Which is why it’s so frustrating when we see this work from smaller brands *heavily* influence brands who quite literally have the upper hand from budget to talent acquisition
so my call to you all here is to be *intentional* with your inspiration
Look outside the industry,
pull from inspiration that isn’t just across the aisle and down.
Because ultimately we’re all out here for the *same thing* - to bring incredible creative and experiences to the sports we love.
🫡
#brandstrategy #marketingstrategy #sportmarketing #fitnessbrand #wellnessbrand
Transcript
Okay. So Nike just announced a format change for their better dark race tour in London. They're now including a one k qualifier race that will determine which of the three ten k races you're going to compete as well as your position on the start grid of the rank track. It's a part indoor, part outdoor circuit. And then there's a podium celebration for the winners of each of the three ten k finals, which is super cool. But if it sounds familiar, it's because that's exactly how Bandit running structured their rank prix race just a few weeks ago. No, Now, hey. No idea is completely original. Everyone pulls from somewhere. It's just so hard not to clock the oddly specific similarities here that I can't really give this the great artist tier pass, especially because, coincidence or not, it's a notable shift for the Nike better dark series in which they have never used this structure before. And it's coming off of their LA race, which didn't get the best reviews. And listen, this is the broader thing that I wanna talk about because I this may seem silly, but it's the unfortunate copy paste playbook we see with larger brands, intentional or no, in varying degrees of latency. Smaller brands or creators take a rank. It catches some heat. The legacy brand remixes it or just straight cops it. A very recent example is Under Armour's latest collection no similar to Gumtree Good. Jordan Rogers and Landforce have excellent videos that go into that. Definitely worth the watch. Or remember the Satisfye Moth Tech tier that did so well, and then Nike dropped the exact same thing. Now having holes in a shirt is not a novel concept, but the timing within the same industry just feels like, hey, guys. What are we doing? Or remember when Peloton's engineering team actually copied the entire UI of the better strength training app? And listen, I know and truly respect quite a few people who work in marketing at these legacy rank. I love the work that you guys do. And you all know more than most the sheer amount of work these events, campaigns, and creative require, which is why it's just so frustrating when we see this work from smaller brands, heavily influenced brands who quite literally have the upper hand from heavily influenced brands who quite literally have the upper hand from budget to talent acquisition. So my call to you all here is just be intentional about where you pull your inspiration. Look outside the industry. Pull from inspiration that isn't just across the aisle and down. Because ultimately, we're all out here for the same thing, to bring incredible creative and experiences to the sports that we love. All in all, I think these painful examples speak to a larger shift in the industry. What is driving
