Ad Critique

Nike Unlimited you Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA7ULX_V4jk

1. What is the Literary Form of this advertisement? Why the advertiser chose this particular
literary form?
The literary form of this advertisement is narrative, where a third person tells a story about others
to the audience. In that case, we see a voice-over of American actor Oscar Isaac motivating
different people regarding their sportif careers. We see a baby who will one day become a state
champion, an exhausted runner who will run a marathon, and so on.

2. Draw the Stern diagram of the advertising communication process for this advertisement.
- Source
Sponsor: Nike
Author: Wieden + Kennedy
Persona: Oscar Isaac
- Message: Narrative
The ad tells the story of athletes starting from low points and pushing their limits until they are
unstoppable; the stories are voiced by a third person, who, in that case, is Oscar Isaac
- Receivers
Implied consumers: Imagined by the ad’s creators to be ideal consumers who acquiesce in
whatever beliefs the ad requires, in that case, the implied consumers are athletes who put their
minds into something until they no longer have a limit to their success, like the struggling runner
who ran a marathon at the end.
Sponsorial consumers: Group of decision-makers and gatekeepers at the sponsor’s organization
who decide whether the ad will run or not; it is Nike decision-makers.
Actual consumers: Real world people who comprise the ad’s target audience; they are the people
to whom the message is directed, in that case people who have dreams especially in sports (all
sports, all genders, and all ages).

3. What type of advertising is this?

Target audience: Consumer advertising
Geographic: International advertising
By medium: Broadcast advertising
By purpose: Nonproduct, noncommercial and action advertising

4. What is the Function of this advertisement? Explain

I believe that the main function of this ad is to build value, brand preference, and loyalty. As we
can see the ad does not promote any new product or emphasize on current ones, all the ad does is
spread and convey a specific message. I believe that this is what makes this ad strong, it relates
to the people on a personal level, which leads to the creation of brand preference and loyalty.
Additionally, it builds a value to the brand, meaning that when after seeing this ad, everyone
should think of Nike when they think of achieving their goals and pursuing their potential best.

5. To which Need out of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs does this ad appeal? Explain
This ad appeals to the psychological and self fulfillment needs, esteem and self actualization
needs in specific. The ad talks about athletes who push their limit and are unstoppable, in order
to achieve a certain goal and even to achieve more than this goal, which increases their feeling of
accomplishment and realization of their full potential

6. To which Fundamental purchase and usage motives (Rossiter and Percy) does this
advertisement appeal?
First, this ad appeals to the sensory gratification meaning that the buyer has several senses
simulated, which will eventually push them to buy the product. We saw in the ad several
characters moving and pushing; this happened with a beat and with the voice-over of Oscar
Isaac. Several textures were used, and we could feel them as the audience, such as the ‘do it that
was broken like a wall… On the other hand, intellectual stimulation or mastery was also used as
exploratory interest. The ad plays on the viewer's brain and makes them want to master a sport
and achieve goals. It makes them want to go beyond their potential and destroy their limit.

7. What route to persuasion (Elaboration Likelihood Model) the advertisement uses and
why?
I believe that the ad used both routes of persuasion. First, it used the central (logical) route
because there was a high involvement of all the Nike products in the ad, keeping the attention on
the usage of Nike products and how they were always available along the way to success. At the
same time, the ad did only solely focus on the products but also on the story it was narrating. We
can see that the peripheral route was also used, and the products were used as tools to complete
the level.

8. What is the target audience of this advertisement? Justify

The target audience of this ad is broad; children, amateur athletes, professional athletes, and
everyone with an impossible goal to realize are shown in the advertisement. In this
advertisement, both men and women are portrayed. The ad reveals their competitive nature,
implying a ferocious attitude. Running, golf, tennis, swimming, soccer, gymnastics, wrestling,
basketball, baseball, skateboarding, football, and martial arts are just a few of their sports. This
commercial, in particular, does not promote a single product. The products are intended for
children, teenagers, and adults. Every scenario in the commercial features children, teenagers,
and adults, implying that no matter what age you are, you can still compete with the greatest. The
emotions that made this commercial so powerful showed the viewer that nothing is impossible
when you wear Nike clothes. Because the athletes indicated in the advertisement were world-
class athletes, it was highly effective. Youngsters competed alongside these athletes in the ad,
and it paves the way for children all around the world to want to be as successful as these
athletes if they wear Nike clothes. In other words, the ad targets people regardless of their age,
sex, religion, income, education, family, nationality… On the other hand, it targets people with
ambition, strivers, and achievers.

9. Reflection:
Culture/society and advertising are two interrelated topics that affect each other significantly.
Advertising affects and impacts the mindset and the thoughts of society, and vice versa; society
shapes how ads should look and influence people. In the case of our ad, society, and culture play
a crucial role. I want to discuss a few points.
First, the ongoing culture these days is that everyone deserves to dream and achieve their goals,
regardless of appearance and age. For instance, more than half a century ago, women were not
allowed to compete or play sports like men; now, women play sports as much as men and have
their championships, especially after all the movements encouraging women to speak up and
have their voices heard. On that account, racism has decreased in sports, and everyone now has
the right to play the sport they desire regardless of their race/religion. The ad is not necessarily
bound to society’s rules, but it pushes the limits.

Second, I believe that the ad has caused some controversies because it pushes people beyond
their limits and their SAFETY. In the ad, a young girl jumps off a cliff into the water, some
people could take the message in the wrong way, and children may think that it is acceptable to
jump off a cliff. In other words, that ad may have created unrealistic expectations for the
audience, and that may be somehow dangerous and harmful.

I would like to finally add, speaking of my society and culture, in Egypt, we have real-life
examples of people who have pushed their limits and pursued their dreams and achieved more
than their ambition. For example, Mo Salah, who came out of a very low-income family from
Upper Egypt, is one of the best football players in the world. Farida Osman is another example
of a swimming champion. In Egypt, women face so many challenges. It is not easy to achieve
something that big, being a girl; yet, Farida Osman is the fastest swimmer in Africa and is a gold
medalist, and others such as Mayar Sherif have reached very far in sports.

To conclude, many people are struck by the fact that the advertisement begins with a baby in a
cradle. Each athlete featured appears to be unremarkable at first. At a golf course, one awkward
and inexperienced girl is assured that she will have the finest swing in the state, and she is taken
by surprise by the news. It's a valuable lesson to learn that everyone starts somewhere. Those
exceptional individuals aren't born with it. They develop, grow, and learn because they are
willing to push past the constraints that confine them. The lesson applies to all people, not just
athletes.
Bibliography:
- https://elevatepromo.com/nikes-unlimited-you-ad-campaign/
- https://www.nssmag.com/en/fashion/8935/nike-presents-unlimited-you
- https://professorramos.blog/2018/07/12/unlimited-you-nike-pushing-the-limits-of-
advertising/
- https://www.pathmatics.com/blog/nike-unlimited-you
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA7ULX_V4jk