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Nike's

Background

Nike, Inc., formerly known as Blue Ribbon Sports, is American sportswear company headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. It was founded in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman.

Nike Ads Analysis

By: Brittney Adeck

Image Description

Image

Description

The image was created in the 1970s to advertise to consumers that there were many versions of Nike's shoes. The image shows the legs of people wearing the Nike Blazers in featuring different colors.

Target Audience

The target audience based on the ad would be adult-aged athletes. I can tell because the paragraph at the bottom right of the ad says that Nike has a shoe made for almost every sport and it will help you become a better player.

Target

Audience

Techniques

The ad shows the words "The world's great variety shoe" and "Nike makes it. We have it" in black, bolded letters on the top of the page. These words want to show Nike buyers that its already a popular shoe and it's made specific to each individual.

Another eye-catcher on the ad is the image of the peoples' legs. The shoes have different colors, which somewhat verifies Nike's statement of having many options for a shoe.

Values/Mores

Individuality: One of the things Nike preaches in this ad is that they have shoes made for every person. This is important tries to make each audience feel special. The different legs shows that the the people wearing Nike's are proud to show off what they are wearing. Nike shoes give them confidence in themselves.

Values/Mores

Undertones

In this picture, the faces of the people are not in the image. This subtly implies that the shoes have greater value than the people. Instead of the shoes beautifying the person wearing them, they become the main picture and the person, an accessory. Also, this idea introduces the thought of how much power the shoes have in making someone different, or "better" athlete than they were before. Do the shoes make a strong impact on one's abilities? And if so, does this power make them more superior than those who wear the shoes?

Bandwagon

  • Appeal to popularity and the fact that many people do something as an attempted form of validation

In the image, the small paragraph states "all with famous Nike design and construction that have made them best-sellers". The words famous and best-sellers let the audience know that Nike is a not a new company and have consumers that support their brand. The ad tries to appeal to popularity because people are more likely to try/buy something, if it has already been done before. In this case, the more Nike alludes its popularity, the more people will want to see how the product actually is.

Logical

Fallacy

Ethos

Nike tries to build their credibility by stating they've created a shoe for almost every sport. This solidifies their popularity because their brand's appearance in different sports makes them reliable to consumers. Since Nike has shown itself to become a more available product, consumers will think of the brand first when deciding what to buy for themselves.

Rhetorical

Device

Image Description

Image

Description

This ad was made in the late 1980s. The famous Micheal Jordan ran his Air Jordan line of sneakers endorsed by Nike. This ad was one of his ads with up and coming film director, Spike Lee (a.k.a. Mars Blackmon), who loved Jordan's sneakers. Their series of ads became one of the most effective ad campaigns of all time. The ad is based upon Mars Blackmon, one of the characters in Lee's 1986 movie, 'She's Gotta Have It'.

Target Audience

The target audience would be those who are aware of Spike Lee's productions, especially ones who watched 'She's gotta Have it' and male basketball players.

Target

Audience

Techniques

A technique used well in this ad would be dimensions and placings of the graphics. Although the ad is 2-D, the circular bend of the words and the height of Jordan above Earth, makes it seem 3-D. The placement of Jordan implies that the shoes allowed him to jump out of earth, leaving Mars (Spike Lee) behind.

Value/More

Nike is about making individuals better and exemplifying their uniqueness. The last ad Nike asserts the fact that they have a shoe made for each person. In this ad, the person is Micheal Jordan. It is implied in the ad that because Jordan is wearing the shoe, he was able to "overcome the acceleration of gravity" by the strength of mere muscle. Viewers of the ad know that defying gravity without the help of a supernatural happening/technology is nearly impossible, so they credit his strength to the shoes on his feet.

Values/

Mores

Undertones

In crediting Jordan's strength to lift off Earth to the Air Jordan shoes, Nike is downplaying his actual skills. Jordan is famous for being a amazing basketball player; his dunks are famous. But he a good player by the amount of work he dedicates to the game, not the shoes he wears. By over exaggerating the jump the Nike shoes gives, Nike sets unrealistic standards to athletes that they have to buy Nike shoes to be a great player. In reality, athletes need hard skill to be as great or better than Jordan.

Appeal to Authority

Logical

Fallacy

  • if one credible source believes something, then it must be true.

In this ad, the main authority figure is Micheal Jordan. He is advertising his new shoe, Air Jordan, in collaboration with Nike. Most people know that Micheal Jordan is one of the best basketball players of all time. Because of this, he has a lot of people who look up to him. Since he has a high status, since he is supporting the launch of a Nike branded shoe, others will follow in pursuit.

Logos

Rhetorical

Device

The device used in this ad is difficult to identify. Some may say Ethos, because Jordan is a credible figure and Nike is basing this ad off of him. However, I would say Logos because of the mentions of scientific words like "acceleration of gravity... vertical plane... low altitude earth orbital". Although viewers know defying gravity in the way Jordan does in impossible, Nike tries to make an argument with correct wording that explains how Jordan can lift up from Earth. For younger kids, the nearly impossible action of Jordan may excite them.

Image Description

Image

Description

This ad was created in 1995, in the support for women's sports. The ad was made to encourage the participation of sports in young girls, since it was a male-dominated field. It states the possible benefits of letting a girl play a sport such as building self-confidence and reduced chance of breast cancer.

Target Audience

Target

Audience

The message that "sports is no less valuable to girls than to boys" is directed to parents. During this time, parents prevented girls from playing sports because they believed it made them more masculine and disconnected from emotions. However, this ad was made to discourage that way of thinking.

Techniques

The most effective technique Nike uses is the innocent close-up image of the young girl. The image seeks to draw any type of emotion from the viewer. The connection the viewer makes with the girl will be translated to what they think of the Nike brand.

Value/More

Values/Mores

Nike tries to uplift people. In the past ads, they do so by creating unique shoes with unworldly strengths. Here, Nike advertises its brand by showing what they support, which is women's rights. Nike is trying to help all young girls with an interest in sports pursue their dreams.

Undertone

Young girls are prevented from doing sports because it is labeled as a male activity. The ad hints at sexism by challenging a women's traditional role in society, which is the housewife. Nike challenges the gender discrimination and opens the world of sports to women, specifically young girls.

Undertones

False Cause

Logical

Fallacy

  • Presume that a real or perceived relationship between things means that one is the cause of the other.

The ad's argument is based on an "if, then" statement: "if you let me play... I will like myself more...suffer less depression". These statements are logically incorrect because it implies that allowing girls to play sports will boost their confidence, which isn't true in every case. In the example of depression, it is an illness that cannot always be solved by a sport, for some extreme cases require medication.

Pathos

Rhetorical Device

Nike tries to make parents feel pity and guilty for not allowing their young daughters to play a sport. By saying that playing sports would decrease a girl's chance of developing breast cancer by 60%, a parent may be more inclined to let them play sports to save them from future illness. The fact that some parents have denied their daughters the chance makes them seem like bad parents for not wanting the benefits that sports would give to their daughter.

Image Description

This 2018 image was a reference to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee in 2016 as an expression of protesting "a country that oppresses black people and people of

color" (NFL News). Nike made a decision to support his actions, despite the backlash the action received. Placing Kaepernick's face in this ad highlights Nike's stance against police brutality.

Target Audience

The audience every American citizen: law enforcement, citizens, and athletes. Because Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem, the action seemed to anger patriots the most, but it made an impact in national news.

Techniques

The color and the expression of Kaepernick's face on the ad gives it a tone of seriousness. Most people associate black & white photographs with a sense of nostalgia, which made sense since the issue of police brutality has been going on for years. Because the image is visibly simple, the audience's focus on Kaepernick's face in the background and highlights the message in the middle of his face.

Value/More

Values/Mores

Nike is not new to inspiring others. By making this controversial ad, Nike took a huge risk, as they lost many buyers and brand supporters. However, its efforts in fighting against adversity show that they are trying to use their voice to highlight national issues. Nike is showing its support for those effected by police brutality, because its the right thing to do.

Police Brutality

Undertones

The issue of police brutality has destroyed the lives of African American for years. From Trayvon Martin to George Floyd, the black community has sacrificed their loved ones living in America. The ad takes a stand against the actions against minorities and contributes to the progression of the BLM movement.

Appeal to Authority

Logical

Fallacy

Although Kaepernick received a lot of hate, he has many followers because of the action he took. His supporters are more likely to support Nike for standing for the same social case they are fighting for. However, it some may argue that he is not qualified to speak on the issues of race, when he isn't fully black. So, his fame gave him the qualification to address this topic.

Ethos

Rhetorical

Device

The image aims to humanize the actions of Kaepernick. Although many saw it as a disrespect to America, the ad tries to make people empathize with Kaepernick's position, as a person as color. Having the audience look into the his eyes gives this ad an intimate feel, because it makes it seem like each viewer is being individually.

Critical Theory

1970's to early 90's: According to Marxists, these decades highlight capitalism as a system of exploitative power relations. In the two ads shown, Nike shoes were shown to be the main subject of a buyer's attention. The first ad had no image of a person, implying the downplaying the importance of the person over the shoe. In the second ad, Jordan was highlighted, but only to promote the shoe. Nike used Jordan's fame to attract more buyers to their brand. Marxists would argue that Nike placed more importance on their shoes by exemplifying its qualities to sell more and make money. I doing so, they lacked connecting the shoes to actual people.

Late 90's to now: In discussing Postmodernism, we explore the relationship between those who have and don’t have social power. The last two ads did not have the image of a Nike shoe, instead it highlighted a person. The third ad showed a young girl with hopes of attracting more support for women in sports. The last image had Colin Kaepernick, a famous football player that took a stand against police brutality that Nike supported through its ad. Through these ads, Nike explores the social concepts of feminism and racism. Postmodernists would say that women and minorities are the too groups that have less power in society, and with these ads they are given the opportunity to define their own truth. Postmodernism rejects traditional ideas, and seeks to develop as culture changes.

The BIG transition: Nike grew morally as a company. To start off, Nike created advertisements merely for the sale of their shoes and gaining a good reputation. But as they gained money as a company, they took more controversial stances to appeal to different audiences. They began to care about the lives of those who buy their shoes and used their fame to make a social difference. GOOD JOB NIKE!

  • https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/
  • https://sneakernews.com/2009/06/11/michael-jordan-spike-lee-vintage-nikeair-jordan-ads/
  • https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nike-Inc
  • https://www.businessinsider.com/25-nike-ads-that-shaped-the-brands-history-2013-8
  • https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/oct/10/if-you-let-me-play-sports-nike-ad-uses-powerful/
  • https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/16/nikes-dream-crazy-advert-starring-colin-kaepernick-wins-emmy
  • https://www.nfl.com/news/colin-kaepernick-explains-why-he-sat-during-national-anthem-0ap3000000691077
  • https://voices.lifeway.com/culture-current-events/what-is-postmodernism-and-how-does-it-affect-our-culture-today/#:~:text=Postmodernism%20Today&text=We're%20now%20in%20a,particular%20way%20we%20want%20to.

Works

Cited

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