Nike’s ‘Dream Crazier’ ad ‘just did it’ and burned relationships with those sitting on the fence
Nike Women’s latest ad burns relationships with those sitting on the fence and makes advocates of the individuals who align with the brand’s values, argues BusinessDEPOT’s Pia Rees-Rogers.
Monday morning while I was eating my breakfast before work, I settled in for my morning routine of checking out the latest on Instagram. Except on this day, something stopped my mindless scrolling in its tracks. Zeina Nassar, muslim pro-boxer was wearing a Nike Pro Hijab on a Nike Women Instagram post. This broke up my feed of Instagram Influencers and all the fakery I usually just keep scrolling past. On the Nike Women story they had also released a new advertising campaign featuring Serena Williams titled ‘Dream Crazier’.
It got me thinking, Nike has never really connected with their female audience in this way before. In the same way that Gillette has never spoken out about toxic masculinity before the ‘The Best a Man can get’ ad earlier this year.
“women are deemed ‘crazy,’ just because they are ambitious, or believe in something”
feels like the entire premise is coming from a straw man (woman) argument. Just who is doing all this “deeming”? (aside from bubble-living ad agency copywriters that is)
maybe I’m lucky, but I have never experienced any of this.
eat a salad
smile more
None of this resonates with me
hi Pia. So great to hear that ‘Dream Crazier’ resonated so strongly with you. Just one quick correction – Nike has never been a “shrink it and pink it” brand. Not with their product and certainly not with their comms. As far back as in 1995 they were making ads like this: (If You Let Me Play) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ_XSHpIbZE – right up until this ad made for the Middle Eastern market just 2 years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=70&v=F-UO9vMS7AI , Nike has long been pushing the boundaries on their portrayal of women in sports and in society. As a Nike alum with 10 years spent in global and regional roles, I can assure you that this is just the most contemporary expression of a consistent narrative.