NIKE COMMERCIAL IN 1988

                                             

PRODUCT: Nike Jordan 4s Retro

TIME PERIOD: 1988

PURPOSE: Get Nike lovers everywhere to buy their new product, which is the Jordan 4s Retro.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

            -The target audience is everyone from girls to boys, young to old, does not matter if you play any kind of sports, because we can see that Nike included people from all kind of backgrounds in the video.

            -GENDER: “Girls or boys, female or male, we can all play sports.” Nike had male and female from all ages participated in the video to show their love in the sport they participated in. This commercial really support the equality between the two genders, they showed that not only boys can play basketball, the girl can do it too. The assumption is realistic because girls can be as strong as the boys and vice versa, but this assumption does challenge some stereotypes. Society had always talk about the girls as someone who are super “weak,” and should be “protected” by the boys, but in this commercial, we have both girls and boys playing basketball, showing that they are both strong. We can also see other girls who are having fun, and we can tell that they were enjoying what they were doing, so we cannot let some old-fashion stereotypes stopping the kids from having fun.
            -RACE: “Skin color does not decide who you are as an athlete.” We can see Asian, African American, and Caucasian people in the video, proving to us that we do not have to be typical, and abandon our dream just because it go against what the society believe in. Many of the stereotypes in society have a lot to do with Black people being the best of the best athletes, but there’s an Asian boy playing soccer in the video, and also a White boy playing volleyball.

            -CLASS: “Social class does not set the boundary in sport.” We can see kids playing sport on the street and in an abandon place in the video, and there were also kids who look a bit nicer, and gave off a classier look in the video too. This assumption is realistic because no matter what social class you are in, if you sacrifice a lot of time, and dedication into the sport, you will end up at the top eventually. This does go against some stereotypes, because some people tend to believe that a certain sports only belong to rich people, and other sports are poor people’s sports. Which is very untrue, because no matter how rich an individual is, if they do not put in the same amount of dedication like someone who is less fortunate than them, the poor person will surpass them eventually.

TYPE OF CLAIM:
-Avante Grande: Nike suggested that by purchasing the Jordan 4s Retro, customers will be on top of their hype game, and become the fashion statement wherever they go. That’s why customer should “just do it” and buy this product.
-Bandwagon: Nike was showing a lot of kids of all races were super excited for the release of this new product. They were trying to persuade their audience that this new pair of shoes will be a hot topic once it hit the market, all these people will have it so you should too, or you will be left behind from the current trend.

PERSUASIVE APPEALS:

-Pathos: The commercial showed many kids were super happy and excited, and just having fun. This can show their audience that the upcoming shoes must be very special in a way, and they would want to experience it themselves too. This will lead to Nike gaining more customers.

-Logos: There was no experts approved facts in the commercial, which Nike should have included some, so their viewers can see that this new pair of shoe is actually legit and will be comfortable for users, in this way more audience will be interested in buying the shoes rather than just having pathos aspect in the commercial.
-Ethos: Ethos was presented in this commercial with all the different kid athletes taking a part in this video. Viewers can see that these kids actually play sport, and Nike worked wonder with them. Also, with the kids coming from all kind of different background, Nike proved to viewers that their shoes will fit perfectly for all kind of different bone structures.

POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES:

-Long-term: “More kids will be participating in different kind of sports.” With many opportunities ahead, and better sport equipment from Nike, more parents will be comfortable with having their kids participate in sports now.  

-Short-term: “The Jordan 4s Retro will be a hot trend once it released,” because with the amount of effort that Nike putted in this commercial, we can see that this company is pretty ahead of its time, so their products should be good in quality and designing too.

-The message created by this video was not unrealistic because anyone could play sports no matter what their situation is, if they really wanted it, they will make it happen for themselves.
-The message from Nike does not undermine or encounter any social change, because they were trying to build a stronger youth generation, so that they can grow up and make something good out of themselves, so eventually, these kids will grow up to benefited our society no the opposite.

-This ad is socially responsible because by encouraging kids to play more sport, Nike is building a stronger generation both inside and out. With the problems solving skill and physical activities involved with playing sports, these kids will be quicker on their feet, and have faster reaction. With a better line of generation coming, they are promising to be very beneficial to the society.