Ad Post: Nike – Human Chain

Nike 1:00 spot
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Portland

I imagine that advertising geeks like me will never get tired of watching & going crazy over Nike advertising. Sometimes, I feel like it is as much art as any well crafted feature film. If I didn’t think it would be going slightly overboard, I would crank out a post like this every couple of weeks.

The newest ad from Nike & its longtime agency W+K is about adversity & resilience, two of the most popular themes for the brand in its self-imposed mission to celebrate athletes. The spot has so with an interesting stop photography trick & music—in grand Nike advertising tradition, they have found the perfect song. It’s called “Ali in the Jungle,” by the Hours, & it’s unlikely you’ve ever heard of it.

“It’s not how you start/it’s how you finish,” it goes. “Everybody gets knocked down/how quick are you going to get up?”

As with one of my other favorite Nike spots, it features a variety of sports & in this case, both famous & unknown athletes. Notably, it also does not feature the Winter Olympics, despite Nike being an official sponsor of the Games. Despite its star sponsorees, Nike has never been about any one sport, it’s always been about the spirit of the athlete.

-Amy Yen