Nike Equality Commercial
Nike’s Equality Commercial:
Nike is using its voice to take a stand for equality, something that the world has gotten away from for years. This commercial is trying to motivate people from all over the world to take action in their communities. Nothing negative is being portrayed in the one minute and thirty-second long flick. Everyone that spoke during the commercial came off calm and collect. Racial and gender inequality is the company’s main focus, so they featured athletes of different races and gender. With Nike’s statue among the world, mostly everyone will see their ad or read about it.
This commercial shows diversity by being shot at various locations such as basketball courts, tennis courts, soccer fields, and just in different neighborhoods. It is also shown in black and white letting viewers know that no one stands out more than others, another reference to equality. Famous athletes, such as Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Serena Williams, are presented showing serious faces. Having the message come from someone monumental will get most people to listen. Those athletes have impacted people’s lives in so many other ways, so it would not be a problem for them to use their influence for a great cause. These individuals are also held to a higher standard now because they are the activist for their brand. People are seen marching the streets, protesting in front of a courthouse, and spray painting lines representing segregation.
The unknown person speaking in the background starts from the beginning saying, “Is this the land history promised? Here, within these lines, on this concrete court, this patch of turf. Here you’re defined by your actions. Not your looks or beliefs. Equality should have no boundaries. The bonds we find here should run past these lines.’ The ad continues, showing the various athletes. The narrator finishes up saying, “Opportunity should not discriminate. The ball should bounce The same for everyone. Worth should outshine color.” Sam Cooke’s famous song, “A Change Will Come,” can be heard playing throughout the whole commercial. The end of this ad shows the phrase, ‘Equality has no boundaries.”
When this commercial premiered, most of the world had to see it. The ad was aired for the first time during The Grammy’s Award show, something that pretty much everyone watches. Then, it was showed again during the NBA All Star game: a very popular sports event during the month of February. Nike did not want to air it during the NFL’s Super Bowl because they thought it would not come off as a serious message at the time. The company wanted to grab every human being’s attention, and that was not a challenge knowing that their brand is popular on every continent. I cannot think of a bigger trademark that has an impact larger than Nike, so they are in the perfect position to do this campaign.
Nike is trying to persuade their viewers to recognize what is going on around them. Many people have not been faced with inequality all of their life, or maybe they don’t understand how important equality is. They are trying to get people to help the next man or woman who has not had the same advantages as them succeed. Especially at this crucial time in America, we need to come together. The ad also was referring to our current President, but its only because he is trying to enforce immigration upon people of a certain color. He has to think about all the refugees who have established their families in this country, and if he kicks them out they could lose everything.
Nike’s ad was not meant to be very creative,