“Fate”: a mini-movie ad by Nike

This Nike ad follows the journeys of two top athletes from their first steps to playing in the NFL by tracing their lives from young students through middle and high school, college to finally their careers as NFL players. At the end of the ad, both of them are competing in an NFL game. The ad tries to show how throughout their lives fate determined they should be playing football and they were determined to confront in the field. The use of music also enhances that feeling by using the very popular Ennio Morricone’s tune from the spaghetti western “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. In less than one minute, a sort of mini movie is displayed with a crescendo effect deriving into a powerful ending. It is not coincidence that the filmmaker David Fincher is behind the camera in this ad.

As we all know, Nike is positioned as a premium brand, selling expensive sportwear. Its marketing strategy is centered on its brand image and sponsorships agreements with athletes and teams. All their ads reflect athletic pursuits and challenges. In this case, the ad captures perfectly what is the essence of a football game. By linking the brand to a popular sport and players through a cool and powerful ad, Nike successfully positions itself as must-wear brand, no matter what the price is.