Nikes Advert
Nike’s Advert
Introduction
Advertising or marketing, in general, has been at the heart of the business world. Indeed, it has been recognized as one of the fundamental aspects in the world of business and has a bearing on the profitability, as well as sustainability of the business both in the short-term and the long-term. This is especially considering that it determines the number of people who know about the business entity or even its products, not to mention the image that is created of the same. Needless to say, advertising and marketing strategies are primarily based on perception or rather the image that they depict both about themselves and their audience or potential customers. Indeed, a large number of adverts especially for women beauty products are primarily aimed at creating the impression that the women audiences have less than perfect skins or bodies, but can reach that level of perfection by buying or using the products being advertised. While adverts do not necessarily have to ride on the creation of images or ideas of imperfection in their audience, they almost always have to ride on the possibilities that abide through the use of the products being thus advertised. This is the case for Nike’s “Find Your Greatness” advert.
The advert campaign was primarily concentrating on the athletic greatness that was taking place in the varied “Londons” all over the world, rather than just the ones occurring at the 2012 Olympics in London. It shows Londoners in Jamaica, the United States, South Africa, Nigeria and many other countries that are shown in the one-minute television commercial. The incorporation of Londoners from different parts of the globe was aimed at igniting conversations pertaining to the manner in which athletes all over the world find their own greatness.
Like other adverts, the Nike advert was aimed at creating some ideas about the world in which the audience lives. First, it aims at opening up the mind of the audience to the possibilities that abide for all people irrespective of age, race, or even country of origin. Indeed, the narrator states that “Greatness is not a strand of DNA” and that any person can achieve greatness. This is complemented by the showcasing of everyday athletes from across the globe competing, playing and training, with the universal thread being that the featured locations are all known as London. The advert starts with the scene at a “London Gym” in which a man is working out, before proceeding to a rugby match occurring in East London, South Africa, in which a boy hands off an evidently larger opponent (HYPERLINK “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hEzW1WRFTg”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hEzW1WRFTg). A woman is seen in a scene from Little London, Jamaica, working with consummate precision and skill, after which a focused, young baseball player is seen in London, Ohio catching the ball and throwing it in a seamless action to first base. As much as every athlete has his own definition of success and his or her own goals, they share a unifying sense pertaining to the definition of greatness to them and the possibility and potential that each of them holds in achieving it.
In addition, the key message revolves around the interconnectivity of individuals across the globe irrespective of their location. This is especially considering the timing of the release of the advert. Indeed, the advert was released around the same time that the 2012 London Olympics were kicking off, an event that brought almost all the countries of the world together. This is essentially complemented by the incorporation of the London cities in different parts of the world, with people of different colors and races. Of particular note is the extent by which individuals can identify with the people incorporated in the 1-minute clip. Indeed, all the people incorporated in the varied scenes seem perfectly common rather than superstars. This clearly sends a message about greatness being within everyone’s reach and not being restricted to particular people. It is complemented by the statement that “Greatness is not in one special place, and it’s not in one special person. Greatness is wherever somebody is trying to find it” (HYPERLINK “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hEzW1WRFTg”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hEzW1WRFTg).
Like every other advert, the Nike advert is primarily aimed at persuading people to check out and buy the company’s sporting products. Adverts persuade people in this respect through the use of ethos, pathos and logos. The use of logos underlines the crafting of the message in such a way that it appeals to the rationality or logic of the audience (Martinez 12). Indeed, the advert appeals to the logic of people especially considering the period at which it was crafted. It is worth noting that the advert was made at a time when lifestyle diseases such as obesity are at their highest. Indeed, they have attracted considerable attention and concern from all quarters with individuals trying to look up for ways in which they can change this trend and live a healthier life. In essence, the logos of the advert revolves around the necessity of individuals of all ages, races and even origin realizing their greatness and capabilities, so as to allow for the reversal or elimination of the epidemic. It is noteworthy that the commercial targets individuals of all lifestyles, ages and genders, irrespective of their level of activity or inactivity. It aims at imbuing in the individuals the fact that they bear the capacity to achieve success and become great. Of particular note is the 12-year old kid (named Nathan), who is running in an effort to reduce his weight. Essentially, the message is that no obstacle would be too large and that individuals would not need to have special capabilities to achieve greatness.
In addition, the advert is dependent on the pathos aspect to underline its persuasiveness. Pathos, primarily, revolves around the use of words and other aspects to appeal to the emotions of the audience. Indeed, scholars have noted that a large percentage of consumers make purchase decisions based on emotions rather than logic or rationality (Martinez 13). Emotions may include pity, fear, anger or even happiness that triggers a desire in an individual to take a particular action. In the case of the commercial, the emotional appeal is evoked by the simplicity with which the advert is crafted as it triggers feelings to the effect that the audience can literary do or accomplish anything on which they set they eyes and focus. In addition, one would examine the pace at which the voice in the advert speaks. The man speaking in the advert is speaking at a relatively moderate speed while defiantly allowing the audience to ponder about the things that he says. On the same note, his voice is not too loud as make it difficult to hear, yet it is not too loud, which attracts the audience and pushes them to listen carefully so as to capture all that has been said.
Moreover, the advert uses ethos to persuade people as to the appropriateness of Nike’s products. This revolves around the use of an individual who may be considered to have authority in certain matters. In this case, the image, character and knowledge of the individual would imbue some credibility into the statements being made. While the individuals used in the advert may not be particularly famous, the advert uses Tom Daley, an Olympic diver, as the narrator. The use of an Olympic athlete underlines the notion that Nike would be incredible for athletes, thereby encompassing all the bases. Indeed, the popularity of the narrator and the fact that he has been in the tracks makes everything that he says believable. The audience would have no trouble believing that greatness is not more distinctive to human beings “than breathing” and that it is not a distinctive “DNA strand”, rather all individuals need would be the capacity to work at it. On the same note, the use of seemingly common people in the advert is bound to connect the audience to the advert and, consequently, the products being advertised. These are individuals who know what being common is all about and have their own imperfections, in which case they are better placed at indicating how greatness can be achieved by relatively common people. The combination of these people and the message delivered by the accomplished athlete would not only elicit emotions but also create the notion that they are authorities with which the audience can reckon.
Works cited
O’Rourke, Ryan and Ponte, Alberto. Nike: Find Your Greatness. YouTube retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hEzW1WRFTg”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hEzW1WRFTg
Martinez, Pepe. The Consumer Mind: Brand Perception and the Implication for Marketers. London: Kogan Page, 2012. Print.
