The day I stopped copying Nike

It started with a chill FaceTime. A founder wanted me to review their brand voice.

Said they’d been “studying the greats.”

Nike. Apple. Netflix.

Cool, I thought. Nothing wrong with learning from legends. Until I read their landing page. The headline? “Just Start.”

Subtext: “No excuses. No limits. No shortcuts.”

It was like Nike and ChatGPT had a baby… and forgot to lable it.

I paused.

They looked proud. Like a student proudly holding up homework they swear wasn’t copied.

But here’s the thing.

The words were polished. The fonts were clean. The brand was… dead inside.

Because it didn’t sound like them. It sounded like someone pretending to be brave.

And I don’t blame them. I’ve done the same. Back when I launched my first business, I tried to sound “cool.”

I copied Shopify’s tone. Swiped Notion’s minimalism. Even used Apple’s product shots as “inspiration.”

I thought: “If I sound like them, people will take me seriously.”

But they didn’t. Because it wasn’t mine. No matter how hard I tried, it felt hollow.

Like wearing someone else’s cologne — you might smell successful, but it’s still not you.

The turning point? A client once told me:

“I didn’t hire you for the brand. I hired you for how you talk about brands.”

Oof. That hit.

She bought the voice. Not the visuals. That’s when I stopped trying to sound smart. And started sounding like a real person.

Let me say this loud and clear: People don’t follow polish. They follow personality.

Branding isn’t cosplay. It’s clarity.

You can steal a tagline. You can copy a landing page. But you can’t fake soul.

Want a killer brand voice?

You’ve got to bleed on the page a little. Talk like you talk. Swear if you swear. Make a mess. But make it yours.

That’s how trust is built — not by mimicking legends, but by showing your scars.

So here’s your reminder: Your story, your quirks, your weird voice notes — that’s your real IP.

Don’t kill it with Ctrl+C. Build a brand that sounds like you — not like the Nike intern handbook.

And if you're not sure where to start? That’s what I teach inside The Brand Engine.

No fluff. No guru speak. Just frameworks and feedback to help you sound like you — but better. Because people don’t invest in products. They believe in the vision. They back the builder.

I’ll help you sound like you — not a ChatGPT version of Nike. Explore The Brand Engine course where I help you fix your brands strategy.

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