The commercial that Nike launched for the new NBA season a few days ago sums up the values at the core of the brand. The ad opens on a young kid named Dante Grand holding a basketball as he stares at a neighbourhood basketball match. Then he starts dreaming about his future, and we follow him in the ups and downs of his career as a young basketball player. The film is 2 minutes long but it seems to go very fast, and that’s proof that Nike has a deep understanding of how to build a good story.
The Value of Dream
For any young person, dream is a key component of the motivations to engage in a sports activity. Youngsters identify in their champions and crave to emulate their actions. In the ad, after some success in the local court, the young Dante is seen in a training lesson with LeBron and finding a first common feeling with him. Probably the dream of every American young player.
The Value of Failure
Instead of a clean path to growth and victory, Dante’s dream stumbles in difficult moments. As he plays for Duke, Dante fails to shoot leading to defeat, and is roughed up by his teammates. But he reacts with character: he starts to train alone at night, with great intensity and determination. In the best American tradition, failure is just a spur to push your strengths to the limit.
The Value of Redemption
Having trained so hard, Dante is now qualified to win. In a new match for Duke he redeems himself scoring at the last second from a distance – in the same position where he had hesitated in the past. His team explodes with joy, Dante is applauded and he is offered to play for Cleveland with LeBron. As in all good stories, the moment of glory is made more thrilling by the previous setback.
The Value of Ambition
Dante’s dream ends in a final accomplishment. Playing against Kevin Durant, he passes to LeBron and receives the ball back for a slam dunk. If this may seem a bit of a hyperbole, the message is made unequivocal by the ad’s payoff: Want It All. The dreamy but confident face of Dante in the last frame says a lot about the attitude the brand wants its fans to hold.
There’s also another value that is implicit in the commercial. As noted by Alexandra Jardine on Advertising Age, this spot marks Nike’s first year as official on-court uniform provider for the NBA. And, says Jardine, “earlier this year, the brand unveiled its NikeConnect tech that lets fans access custom and exclusive sports content through their clothing”. Thus, what the brand is actually communicating today is that it’s ready to connect with its basketball fan base both technologically and mentally.
By the way, in 4 days the film had 6,5 millions views on YouTube – a clear sign that, when TV advertising gets it right, it it can reach great web storytelling scores too.