Racial equailty is an on-going fight in the United States of America. Some among us are passionate advocates of one side or the other. Some of us are watchful bystanders to the entire movement and counter-movement. All of us are currently witnessing a critical point in American history. However, it isn’t merely social justice organizations and fiery individuals that are speaking about their opinions on this issue. A certain multinational titan of sports apparel has made their mark loudly and clearly. Nike’s 2018 Colin Kaepernick-sponsored commercial captured the attention of millions with its kairotic timing, succinct use of American commonplaces, and emotional appeal. In contrast to their 2018 ad, Nike’s 2020 commercial on racial injustice uses much more solemn rhetoric and imagery to capture emotional appeal and utilize kairos to convey their message.
In 2018, at the height of the Colin Kaepernick controversy, Nike released an audacious advertisement firmly making their stance known to the public.
- inspiring violin + piano music throughout video that picks up pace as it reaches the climax. Adds to the emotional appeal along with Kaepernick’s narration of several examples of athletes that overcame unimaginable odds. Serena Williams from impoverished compton, Shaqueem Griffin to the NFL with one arm, Alicia Woolcott playing linebacker and winning homecoming queen in high school. All of these capture the emotion of the observer and instilling motivation to achieve more, as so many Nike commercials successfully do.
- Classic American commonplace of dreaming big and then working hard to achieve it. Kaepernick’s narration, using similarly structured sentences but providing different examples to appeal to a wide variety of people. “Don’t be the fastest runner in your school. Be the fastest of all time” etc. *Explain how these commonplaces have been instilled into all Americans and how they’re instantly well-received because we are the “land of opportunity” and love to think that we can all achieve anything.
- Perfectly seizing a crucial moment in recent American history. Many companies are afraid to take a side to alienate half the population, but Nike takes advantage of Kairos and uses a main figurehead of the entire controversy as the focal point of the advertisement. The music picks up and reaches the climax as the video focuses on the back of Kaepernick’s afro, as he turns around and hammers the dramatic line “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything”. Kaepernick was the talk of the nation for a few months leading up to the 2018 NFL season for his decision to kneel for the national anthem in protest of racial injustice. It was met with both backlash and support, and Nike perfectly captured the moment to make their stance clear.
Only 2 years later but seemingly much more, Nike released a different, much more solemn advertisement. For the first time in decades, Nike turns away from their iconic “Just Do It” slogan. This time, Nike takes a completely opposite approach to their former ad in the wake of numerous instances of police brutality, death, riots, and destruction in the present day.
- With a simplistic black screen and reverently slow piano music, the viewer can instantly recognize that this Nike commercial is unlike any they’ve seen before. This is on purpose: Nike wants to emphasize the seriousness and importance of the current time. There are no exciting athletes in short clips with quick cuts voiced over with some inspirational narration.
- In a simple, clear, white font with big letters, Nike again makes it clear that this is a serious and straightforward topic. Stylistically, the sentences flow together with one part of the sentence cutting into another. Nike still masterfully uses their common call to action at the end of the ad, but this time is unrelated to sports or personal achievement. The advertisement states “Don’t think you can’t be part of the change”, shifting to “Let’s all be part of the change”.
The colorful and inspiring 2018 advertisement juxtaposes the solemn imagery and tone reflected in the 2020 ad. These advertisements could even be a microcosm for the change of the state of America in the past few years. *Don’t have last few sentences yet to tie it all together. Also all these bullet points will be expanded on this is just the idea of what to write about.