Nike "My Better is Better" Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHHMaiNyztk

Nike already owns one of the most popular slogans in “Just Do It” and this commercial proves why they also have one of the best advertising campaigns. The commercial begins with San Diego Chargers football player LaDanian Tomlinson saying, “my better is better than your better” to a cluster of reporters. I think one thing that makes an advertisement particularly strong is simplicity. This phrase is short and simple but sends a strong message to the audience. Another example of simplicity in this advertisement is that throughout its duration, phrases pop up on the screen in big, capital letters stating things like “my SPEED is better,” “my POWER is better,” and “my AGILITY is better.” At the end of the advertisement Tomlinson concludes by saying, “thank you very much for coming.” Other than those two things, nothing else is said throughout the commercial because the graphics and music effectively do all the talking.

Nike couldn’t have picked a better song to play throughout this commercial. The song is called “List of Demands” by Saul Williams and it naturally makes you want to get up and run, jump, play a sport, or move around in some other way. As the song is being played, various fit, muscular, and even famous athletes are shown working at their sport. This commercial features the likes of Adrian Peterson (NFL player), Kevin Durant (NBA player), Matt Holliday (MLB player), and Pete Carroll (head coach of USC’s football team). The great thing about this ad is that it appears to target all athletes, young and old, male and female. Again, this is shown by the variety of athletes featured in this commercial.

In Jim Fowles' “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals” he states, “By giving form to people’s deep-lying desires, and picturing states of being that individuals privately yearn for, advertisers have the best chance of arresting attention and affecting communication. For the serious athlete, there’s no doubt he or she would love to be able to perform at the high levels previewed in this commercial. That just might make some of them want to go out and buy Nike. Out of Fowles fifteen appeals, this ad attempts to satisfy the need to achieve most. Fowles describes this fundamental need in saying, “A prominent American trait, it is one that advertisers like to hook on to because it identifies their product with winning and success.” This sounds like exactly what Nike is trying to do. If you buy athletic apparel from them, you will win and have success. Other needs that this advertisement also attempts to fulfill are the need to dominate, need for prominence and the need for attention (for the “flashy” athletes out there).

The simplicity, song choice, and targetted audience of this advertisement make it exceptionally effective. I can see many people watching this commercial and saying, “I want to be able to run, jump, or pump iron like that.” For Nike that leads to more sales and potential lifelong customers.


Kyle Meier