Amidst all the controversy sparked by the Paris Olympics, Nike must be hoping that its colossal misstep in its “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” ad campaign flies under the radar.
It’s not like Nike has shied away from controversy. Its 2018 ad featuring Colin Kaepernick got plenty of that, but the message in the “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” ad brought attention to important social issues that resonated strongly with Nike’s audience and created a meaningful platform for discussion more broadly.
But this ad, punctuated repeatedly with Willem Dafoe asking in the voiceover, “Am I a bad person?” leaves the viewer answering “Yes” to statements like, “I have no empathy. I don’t respect you. I have an obsession with power. I think I’m better than everyone else. I have no remorse. I have no sense of compassion. What’s mine is mine. I want to take what’s yours and never give it back.”
What’s worse, the ad starts with a shot of a determined adolescent girl ready to compete. Are these the values parents want to instill in their children so they become the best athletes they can be?
Wrong Message
We all know that it takes hard work, single-mindedness, courage, conviction and truth-be-told genetic gifts to become an elite, world-class athlete as those featured in the ad, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, LeBron James, Sha’Carri Richardson, Vini Jr., Serena Williams, Qinwen Zheng and A’ja Wilson.
Nike had so many positive messages it could have shared about the value of sports in building character – win or lose. How could a brand like Nike have gotten the message so wrong?
“The campaign is divergent from other ads aired around the Paris 2024 games and stands out from the crowd in its messaging,” observed Fernando Desouches, managing director of The Drum.
“Rather than celebrating the values of the Olympics; excellence, respect and friendship, it flies in the face of them – mocking them, if anything.
“Have we really moved so far from the Colin Kaepernick days of uniting and standing defiantly in the face of hate? Do we want to tell the next generation that treading on the dreams of others makes us winners? Is this the right message for a brand with as much cultural cache as Nike?”
Nike Loses
Nike really needed a win in the Paris Olympics. In its most recent fiscal fourth-quarter through May 31, revenues dropped 2% to $12.6 billion and Nike Direct revenues were off 8%, dropping to $5.1 billion. It ended the year up a meager 1% to $51.4 billion.
Even more telling, it reported first quarter 2025 revenues would be off mid-single digits and the first half would decline further, off high-single digits.
During the earnings call, CFO
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He added that the company is taking steps to be “more competitive.” If being more competitive means running the company with the values espoused in the “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” ad, I’m afraid Nike will learn the hard way that winning isn’t for Nike either.
Off Brand
Ipsos senior creative excellence director Samira Brophy tested the ad using its Creative Spark tool and found U.K. and U.S. consumers rated it a fail.
It performed well below average by category, brand closeness and likelihood for consumers to choose the brand. Only 150 consumers were tested, but a larger sample would have undoubtedly produced the same results.
“Why sacrifice empathy over creativity when it’s not landing branding or impact?” Brophy asked. “Ipsos data shows that advertising which demonstrates creativity in combination with empathy has a 20% stronger performance than average.”
The ad gets high marks by Daily Commercials on creative execution in visuals and the rousing accompaniment of Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony.” But the message is dark, self-absorbed and lacks empathy. It goes against the positive values of sportsmanship and goodwill associated with Nike and the Olympics.
Nike, here’s some advice: Get Dafoe back quickly into the sound room to record a new voiceover. I’ll even volunteer to write the script.
Note: I’ve reached out to Nike for comment. As of posting, they haven’t responded.
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