TOP 5: The Nike Best Commercials of the Decade
We list the five best Nike commercials of the decade.
After analyzing the five best Nike commercials in all of its history, it is time to look at how Nike advertising has evolved and see how it has changed in the last ten years. And it is that although the philosophy of Nike has been changing during the different times, it has always supported those transgressive athletes, who went beyond the pure conception of sport.
2016 was a turning point for the brand on a communicative level. He took sides in the controversy of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick with the president of the United States, Donald Trump. The athlete led a wave of protests on the field by kneeling while the national anthem sounded before the games.
In 2017 Nike launched a controversial ad campaign starring Colin Kaepernick. Trump supporters called for a boycott of the multinational’s products, but Nike took sides by thinking beyond its sales. Activist Adam Best summed it up perfectly: “Supporting Colin Kaepernick at a time when most brands lack political courage is something that future generations will remember as part of the brand’s legacy of being on the side. correct story. “
On May 25, George Floyd died from police brutality. Massive demonstrations against it spread throughout the world, appropriating Kaepernick’s gesture of kneeling as a gesture of protest. Nike decided to be on the right side of history and from then on it followed a more demanding line of communication than before, which is clearly reflected in the best Nike ads of the decade. We are going to analyze Nike top five commercials of the decade.
Time is precious
Prior to Nike’s inflection point with Colin Kaepernick, the brand continued to innovate its advertising campaigns with minimalist ads like this “Time is precious.”
In a brilliant exercise of copy, the campaign is a harsh criticism of society and everything we have become after the irruption of social networks and that need to stand out, have an opinion and be the first in everything creates a ‘false obligation ‘to be up to date. Very valuable time that we could dedicate to doing things that are more beneficial for us such as running or exercising.
Air
The advertising campaign “Air” was awarded the best advertisement of the year in 2019 in the list that we make each year in our agency. A motivational ad from Nike that is a brilliant exercise in realization, editing and sound. With the maxim of “less is more” they delight us with a tribute to athletes and those moments in which they are about to start a major challenge.
Lasting one minute, “Air” begins slowly, accompanying those protagonists before starting the test and feeling their breath. We follow them during maximum effort and when we see them reach their initial goal under the motto “Air Moves You.”
Dream Crazy
Under the motto “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The American multinational was positioned in favor of the NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick with his advertising campaign “Dream Crazy”.
Kaepernick is the narrator of an ad inspired by that mythical Apple “Think Different” that encourages us to dream of going as far as we can, whether as athletes, sportsmen or people. Phrases like “Don’t settle for being the fastest in your school, or the fastest in the world. Be the Fastest in History ”they make Nike’s ambition clear with a powerful message. A campaign that would mark the future of the company’s future creatives.
Dream Further
On the occasion of the Women’s Soccer World Cup held in France, an attractive campaign was launched to consolidate the rise of the beautiful game among women. With the launch of “Dream Further” and, as it did with “Airport”, Nike marked a before and after by putting women’s football at the forefront and equating it with its male namesake.
The commercial stars ex-England player Alex Scott, e-Sports star “F2TEKKZ” and Makena Cooke, a 10-year-old Californian player. In three minutes they show us an inspiring, fresh and modern video that encourages us to leave behind all the classic things related to this sport and embrace the new modern football, one where women are the protagonists.
You Can’t Stop Us
And we come to the best commercial that Nike has made in the last ten years. There are times when advertising surprises you again, makes you believe again and makes you fall in love again. They are commercials that mark a before and after and inspire those who see them. That is the art of advertising, to convince you in 30, 60 or 90 seconds and change a bit of yourself.
Nike evolved and created new lines of communication since “Dream Crazy” marked a before and after in the brand. One of them was the “You Can’t Stop Us” that, sponsored due the Covid19 lockdown, inspired everyone to be stronger and to move forward overcoming those obstacles that could stop us.
The main commercial of the campaign was a message of hope, unity and motivation to stay fit in times of confinement and uncertainty. “You Can’t Stop Us” shows us on a split screen two different images that are synchronized to the millimeter. The montage highlights the similarities between amateur athletes and elite athletes around the world, as well as their movements and gestures to form a single image.
A piece that amazed the world, receiving thousands of positive comments surprised by the quality of the piece. The best Nike commercial of the decade.
Related: Best Nike commercials of history
