These are uncertain times. We don’t quite know what the future will bring. We don’t know when things will get back to normal. But even in these times, there are certain moments that bring us joy; certain moments that help us move forward and certain moments that tell us it is not all bad.
And the new Nike ad brings together those moments with astonishing editing and delivers the message in a great way.
The ad is about the unifying power of sport, even as the specter of the pandemic still hangs heavily over all professional sport and it also shows how sport helps create an equal playing field by athletes looking to create change.
The Wieden + Kennedy team that created the ad researched 4,000 sports action sequences and chose 72 of them to combine into 36 split-screen moments, where the action on both sides appears to meld into one. It is seamless and it is stunning.
Watch the ad below:
Twitter reactions
The reactions to the ad expectedly praised the makers and the message.
I kneel before the folks who put this together for @nike pic.twitter.com/1PC7PULKXS
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) July 30, 2020
Nike's ads are always a sight to behold! #YouCantStopUs https://t.co/TvAusdJM3g
— Abhijeet Das (@iabhijeetdas) July 31, 2020
Bravo @Nike! Best 2020 ad thus far. 💪🏼 #YouCantStopUs https://t.co/ScHyEUyFaM
— David GT McMahon (@DavidGTMcMahon) July 31, 2020
Nike is impossibly good at ads https://t.co/4sqUn7NZCv
— Ben Alterman (@ben_alterman) July 31, 2020
Some ads are simply art. This thing will win awards. The editing this thing took is unreal. Well done @Nike. https://t.co/Dqngc5rSfT
— Bizarre Lazar (@BizarreLazar) July 31, 2020
Just admiring the technical craftsmanship behind this ad.
— Alvin Pang (@alfpang) July 31, 2020
You Can't Stop Us | Nike - YouTube https://t.co/d9D7CI13kL
New Nike spot narrated by @mPinoe and staring a ton of Nike athelets is really dope. Continues the "You Can't Stop Us" theme and looks incredible.
— Jacques Slade (@kustoo) July 30, 2020
The ad highlights the power of sport and how it has the ability to bring us together and invite change.
pic.twitter.com/BG0LLfJ9DM
This is the greatest Nike ad and maybe sports ad ever. Full stop.
— steven pasquale (@StevePasquale) July 31, 2020
Bravo. https://t.co/DSPJmSfDZF
Interestingly the Nike Ad chooses to feature the Indian Women's Cricket team. Nice :) pic.twitter.com/lGAm1FbBSE
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) July 31, 2020
For a very long time, I have said that the best ad I've ever seen was @nike's ad "Before."
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) July 31, 2020
That is no longer true. https://t.co/8tHEkp2cw9
This Nike ad is genius https://t.co/ppc4recvRH
— Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) July 31, 2020
Wow. Latest Nike ad speaks to the power of sport. And the power of editing. Worth the watch. pic.twitter.com/Lj3RYgAIPb
— Mackay Taggart (@mackaytaggart) July 30, 2020
