Nike Advert

 Nike Advert

My ideas

• Through the editing which seamlessly transitions the female actress to the male actress, the ideological perspective of equality within sport is introduced.
• The casting of the actresses in the wheelchairs demonstrates how anyone can play sport, regardless of their disabilities.
• The inclusion of the familiar mise-en-scene of swimming pools and school-like gyms, creates a realistic mode of address for the audience to relate to, further reinforcing the idea that anyone can play sport.
• The inclusion of the mise-en-scene of the rainbow smoke is representative of members of the LGBT communities, demonstrating Nike to be a brand which is inclusive of all genders and sexualities.
• The binary opposition between the empty theatre hall and the large stadium demonstrates the vast range of sports Nike caters for.
• The use of diegetic sound when the woman falls to the floor, breaks the loud volume of the music, allowing for a moment of focus on her injury and pain. The sudden break of this music, could arguably representative of the sudden impacts of the corona virus pandemic.
• The consistent emphasis on the lexis of the word 'we' is inclusive and creates a welcoming mode of address for the audience, as they feel apart of the advert and the people Nike represents. This inclusivity is further demonstrated through words such as 'together', 'our', 'we'll'. 
• The colour pallet throughout the video consists of blues, greens and whites, which all act as symbolic coding for life, contrasting the narrative of the video which later goes on to discuss the corona virus pandemic, this creates a hopeful tone for the advert, suggesting how life will always thrive.
• The binary opposition between those from a more financially privileged background (the boy playing in his house), and the woman playing tennis in a seemingly lesser developed area, introduces the idea that Nike is accessible by anyone, regardless of financial status or geographical location.
• The casting of this advert demonstrates diversity, further promoting the idea of inclusivity.
• The dialogue 'we have a responsibility to make this world a better place', is taken from two speakers which is seamlessly blended together. This demonstrates unity, and creates the narrative that those with good intentions within our society, are far more common than those with bad ones, as the two speakers share the same ideas.
• The advert makes a nod to political movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement, with the mise-en-scene of costume stating 'black lives matter', and the kneeling on the floor.
• The red marker over-writing the word 'sport' with 'us' presents a new ideological perspective from Nike, suggesting that they have changed their outlook upon the world, and are rebranding to become more inclusive. The red colour of the lexis 'us' demonstrates confidence within this change.

Class discussion:

• First shot we see - split screen mid shot of black and white woman - constant representation merges all ethnicities - the producer wants to convey that we are all together as people - connoting togetherness and we are just as important as each other - support one another - overcoming adversity - dominant ideology of this advert
• Split screen used, in editing, merges people together and symbolises this idea of ‘unity’
• Split screen of two disabled people, one with legs amputated and ones with arms - connotes an ideology that we are the same - equality - non-diegetic narration - ‘when are we doubted’ - anchors the meaning - nod to that stereotype of disabled - trying to challenge stereotypes
• Whole advert is trying to target all audiences - in this shot both men and women are represented - ideology that men and women are different but equal - the two different shades of blue in the sky - could be argued this is symbolic of their difference but remaining equality 
• Cinematography - filmed as if it is one motion - fits very well together - Actions are edited as one and the camera movement reinforces this - very fluid and seamless - editing fast paced - trying to fit as many sports/people in - this reflects the dominant ideology of the producer 
• Advert - selling ideology product - engaging, exciting, get and hold our attention 
• Narrator - Megan Rapinoe - captain of USA women's football team - having a women narrating is significant as reflects the message of equality - she is a prominent figure with the LGBTQ community - very vocal on political subjects 
• Narrator - uses inclusive lexis -’together, we, our etc’ - Blends the message of responsibility together - trying to demonstrate that  there is solidarity amongst people - famous figures - black man/white women - binary opposition - very diverse in representation 
• Narrator anchors the meaning of the advert - reinforces the ideology of the advert - ‘come back stronger, we are as one’  
• Rainbow smoke - representative of LGBT community - inclusive message - tracking shot of skating - all inclusive and diverse - very accessible as sport - symbolic of rebellion, anti-establishment - the first half of the split screen is a woman skating in a burka - to represent muslim 
• Narrative - this idea of ‘resilience’ being promoted - ‘things won't always go our way’
• Shot of empty stadium - nod to the current coronavirus pandemic - anchored through the shot of people in PPE cleaning - non-diegetic sound of news broadcast - ‘all sport to be postponed’
• Narrative - disruption, resolution - clear arc 
• Shot of people playing at home - you can play sport - overcome adversity 
• Non-diegetic - uplighting, positive, uses strings - very dramatic  
• Shares conventions with Charity advertising? 
• USING SOCIAL ISSUES AS A TREND TO SELL PRODUCTS /NIKE A PROGRESSIVE COMPANY/THERE FOR US AS AUDIENCES 

I wrote 2 paragraphs because I had 2 ideas I wanted to talk about. If only one can be marked I would prefer the second one because I think it is better.

Question:  Why did the producer in this Nike Ad represent people, issues and events in this way? What choices did they make, and why?

The Nike Advert, 'You Can't Stop Us', published to YouTube on the 30th July 2020, was purposefully representative of social, historical and cultural events which had shaped the year. This was channelled through the inclusive casting of the advert, which included diverse actors from multiple ethnic backgrounds, racial groups, genders, religions and sexualities. 2020 marked the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement, and raised awareness against racial discrimination, and therefore the producer arguably identified an inclusive cast as being necessary, in order to correlate alongside the movement. The mise-en-scene of the 'Black Lives Matter' t-shirts on the kneeling footballers, further references this movement, representing Nike as a progressive, inclusive brand who welcome all, regardless of your identity. Despite this representation being progressive and politically correct, an advert only exists to create money for the product, and therefore some audience members may be offended by the advert using the Black Lives Matter movement to make money. This oppositional reading is further strengthened by the lack of digital convergence between the advert and the issues it references in the video. The description box lacks any resources related to the BLM movement, for the audience to access, and instead specifically includes links to Nike's social media and shopping websites. This shows that the producer only included these references, the diverse cast, and the mise-en-scene relating to Black Lives Matter to represent Nike as a progressive, and therefore admirable brand who are deserving of your money, for a marketing purpose.

Gender equality is explored through the cinematography and editing of the video. The transition of the female to male team captain within the first opening scenes of the advert, presents a sense of equality, due to the precision of the seamless transition presenting the two actors as one. The camera-angle is low, positioning the audience below the female and male team captains, assigning them both a level of authority. Combined with the seamless transition, the producer successfully communicates the ideological perspective that both a man and woman can achieve power within sports. This also eliminates Lisbet VanZoonen's theory that men and women are constructed differently, further reinforcing a sense of progressiveness. The representation of gender stereotypes is subversive throughout the video, through the use of editing, and also through the mise-en-scene of costume. The women are filmed wearing football uniforms, which is a stereotypically masculine sport, alongside the men, demonstrating gender equality and subversiveness of stereotypes. Well-known sports legend, Megan Rapinoe, who is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, narrates the video. The lexis of 'we're', 'our', 'together', 'one', within this dialogue creates a semantic field of unity, contributing to the theme of equality which is present throughout the advert. Megan Rapinoe's presence within the LGBTQ+ community is significant, and she was likely chosen by the producer purposefully to market Nike to those of different sexualities and genders. Megan Rapinoe has a large social media following on instagram of 2.2 million followers, and consistently activates for LGBTQ+ rights across the world, meaning she has a large following of LGBTQ+ individuals. She made a post regarding the advert, displaying digital convergence, reaching this audience. From a marketing perspective, this would be useful to the producer, as she has direct access to the target audience, and her supporters will likely watch the advert as she has posted about it. This shows the producer could have arguably chosen to have Megan Rapinoe as a narrator to reach a segment of their target demographic - the LGBTQ+ community, and therefore make money. Whether that be through the revenue made on the views accumulated by the video, or the inclusive representation throughout the video specifically targeting these individuals, leading to them purchasing Nike products.