Nike has always been so challenging when to comes to making advertisements, so nike recently launched two different advertisements both challenging certain stereotypes.
The ad opens on a young girl performing a Russian children’s song in front of a large crowd. In her classical voice, she sings about girls being made of “flowers and of rings”, of “gossips and marmalade” If this traditional Russian song is to be believed, little girls are made of “flowers”, “gossip” and “marmalade,” which doesn’t leave a lot of room for toughness, determination, and strength. Here, the swoosh challenges cultural tradition. The level of confusion among the well-dressed adult audience rises in proportion to the diminutive songstress’ confidence. It’s a welcome addition to the brand’s growing playlist of advertising celebrating a more equal view of women in sport and society. some of Russia’s well-known female athletes appear and inspire the girl to start singing about girls being made of “iron” and “punches and bruises” — to the consternation of the smartly-dressed audience. It ends with the little girl preparing to kick a soccer ball into a goal.
Forget flowers and marmalade. “Made of bruises; And of punches. Made of bravery; And of clenched fists. Made of independence; And of skills; Of passion and heart; And of dignity. Made of will; That’s harder than flint. Made of strength; And of fire. Made of freedom; From other people’s opinions. Made of accomplishments; And of achievements. This is what our girls are made of.”
On the other hand Nike released their advert starring Colin Kaepernick
which has won the award for outstanding commercial at the Creative Arts Emmys.
Nike released the advert, titled Dream Crazy, in September last year. It featured the former NFL quarterback and the slogan: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just do it.” In 2016, Kaepernick started to kneel for the pre-game national anthem in protest at racial injustice in the United States. He has been out of the NFL since leaving the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, and he later settled a case with the league in which he alleged he had been blackballed by team owners for his protests. The ad challenges stereotypes and tell the viewers to dream bigger.
We can see how Nike as a brand challenges different stereotypes to give us an image of a positive world, the brand itself has o leap over life’s obstacles and get active, regardless of societal, physical or cultural barriers. “In some parts of the world, what’s daunting about sport for women is how they look in their exercise pants. In the regions we worked in, what was more daunting, was societal expectations, gender discrimination, community pressure and the weight of traditions. Those are the barriers nike helped breaking down.
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