Sport truly unites the world and has the ability to invite change. Nike’s latest ad ‘You can’t stop us’ successfully portrays the power of sport and has captivated the world. It spreads the message of perseverance and inclusiveness. The ad has a powerful narration, a goosebumps inducing voice-over delivered by footballer Megan Rapinoe and is being hailed as an editing masterpiece.
Seventy two sequences were shortlisted and pieced together from around 4000 pieces of footage to create the poignant and powerful one minute thirty second ad. It features a split screen and athlete on one half of the screen mirrors the athlete on the other half move-for-move.
The fast paced ad features Nike-sponsored athletes from around 24 sports, including the Indian women’s cricket team. Some of the notable athletes featured in the ad include Megan Rapinoe, LeBron James, Caster Semenya, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eliud Kipchoge, Rafael Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka and Colin Kaepernick.
The ad also features several unconventional sports such as skateboarding, surfing and BMX.
Since its release during the NBA’s return in Orlando, Florida, the ad has raked over 20 million views on Facebook and Twitter.
The tagline of the video “You can’t stop sport,because you can’t stop us”, is highly relevant, especially with the postponement and cancellation of major sporting events around the world.
In the current situation of a global pandemic when people are uncertain about the future, Nike has managed to inspire people around the world with the message “Nothing can stop what we can do together”.
The ad highlights the highs and lows faced by several athletes and showcases their strength and will power. It gives hope to people during such trying times. The ad has garnered praise for including several themes like collectivism, diversity and social justice.
The ad, directed by Oscar Hudson, has been conceptualized by Wieden+Kennedy, an independent American advertising agency, responsible for several iconic Nike ad campaigns. The agency also came up with Nike’s famous slogan ‘Just do it’ in 1988.
Nike, the apparel brand is known for its carefully crafted and highly effective campaigns that focus on delivering meaningful stories.
