Nike are renowned for their hard-hitting and motivational sports commercials. By not relying solely on visual effects but instead incorporating powerful messages in to their promotional ads, they’re an incredibly hot topic whenever released and often cause high levels of controversy.
Here at Playmaker, sports choreography consultancy, we look back on 3 recent iconic Nike commercials that took the world by storm.
“Dare To Become”
An advert that broke records within its first 4 days of being live. Dare To Become focuses on the culture of China, using young athletes to take part in a football shoot, following a variety of stories. Having broken through the Chinese Government ‘wall’, it was seen by the majority of Asia, meaning it became the most viewed Nike advert of all time within its first week.
Nike grabbed at the chance to approach the Asian market showing not only Nike, but sport as a whole, is for everyone no matter your background, race or ethnicity. Nike continues to push the boundaries of its global awareness and it’s no surprise that we see such a high level of success with it.
“Equality”
From one global star to another, LeBron James took part in a hard hitting, powerful commercial called ‘Equality.’ Filmed in strictly black and white, the ad looked to address all aspects of equality in sport. With athletes including Serena Williams, Kevin Durrant and actor Michael B Jordan, the ad follows the route of white painted lines drawn by young sportsmen and women, stating that ‘equality has no boundaries’.
Nike’s reputation grew even bigger after the success of the ad, with many proudly advocating the beliefs and messages that the brand wanted to share.
“Dream Crazy”
A 2018 commercial that had everyone talking. Nike took on a brave and bold topic to be the headline of their end of year advert. “Dream Crazy” featured the hotly-debated athlete, Colin Kaepernick, who caused high levels of controversy when he took the knee during the American national anthem at an NFL game. News reporters broke the internet with their coverage of the event; to which Nike saw the opportunity to pounce.
“Dream Crazy”, which again contained some of the most prestigious athletes under Nike’s sponsorship, showcased a powerful message telling consumers that dreaming crazy isn’t an ‘insult, it’s a compliment’. The commercial went global, watched more than 28 million times on YouTube and talked about on social media for days. Hitting a new audience and ultimately becoming even more of a force to be reckoned with.
If you’re looking to create a sports commercial, get in contact with the Playmaker team to help assist with your sports action choreography.
