Road Runner Sports’ Post

Woah. I did not expect to viscerally feel this to the point of tears. Not my normal tears that come up during many Nike ads, but something deeper resonated with this ad. Maybe it’s because I sometimes have felt like a bad person for wanting to win, for wanting to put my needs first let alone,even put my needs in the game at all. Maybe it’s because I have felt unworthy of winning, or like I should only win if I feel bad about it, or like there is no gain without pain, and so of course I shouldn’t feel good about wanting to win. Or maybe because I have watched so many kids who deserve to win not be given the chance, the opportunity or the space to win, so I feel like if I’m not doing everything in my power to help those kids, then I’m never really winning. Even when I’ve had big wins, it tends to feel shallow. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been around giants in my career and have witnessed unbelievable unicorn level success stories and so my wins never feel big enough in comparison to Olympic entrepreneurs. What this ad brought up for me besides a lot of inner reflection is that going after your dreams inspires others to see what’s possible. Everyone in this video helped others see that their dreams could also come true. If any of the athletes in this video stayed small, millions and millions of kids wouldn’t believe it was possible for them to win. This is the power of marketing. When done right, it can change your mind. It can change your life. It can change the way you feel about yourself and the world. I want to win. Does that make me a bad person? No it doesn’t.

I want to share here this video I made for my youtube channel where I dive deep into why the Nike Air Force 1 is the best sneaker ever created. https://lnkd.in/ezS-bZkF

Nike “Empty stadiums? Challenge accepted!" Who knew, with just a campaign, they’d turn a quarantined celebration into an interactive victory celebration just through a simple filter! No doubt, this is why they are NIKE! #youcantstopus #nikecampaign #snapchatfilterfun #marketingcampaigns #ugc #ugccreators #ugcmarketing #productintegration #culturalrelevance #digitalmarketingagency 

Nike stays true to its brand; a Max Max/Hunger Games take on sport. It works for them and their audience. And Nike is, by any measure, the most dominant and successful sports apparel brand in history. Hard to argue with them. But. I think this spot is about so much more than sports, whether intentional or not, I have no idea. To me, and it’s only my subjective opinion, this spot goes far beyond “Just Do It”, which was at least aspirational. This new spot and tagline encapsulates where we are as a species today in 2024: “Life is a zero sum game - I win you lose, I take from you, without any sense of respect, honor, or compassion because the strong have no responsibility for the weak. None. Losers lose and die, winners win and live. Welcome to the jungle, welcome to the Pleasuredome.” There is no “we” there’s only me. It feels dystopian. It’s red meat, and there’s no question it cleverly ties into the zeitgeist roiling the world right now. As noted it works for them and their brand, congrats to their shareholders; it doesn’t work for me. Nike did the same thing just before the Atlanta Games in 1996 with their campaign, “You Don’t Win Silver, You Lose Gold.” The IOC’s responded with an ad about winning a Silver Medal in their great “Celebrate Humanity” brand campaign. Google it. Advertising is fascinating. I give Nike full marks for understanding their core audience, less so on understanding the universal values embedded in sport. But, that’s never been what they’re about anyway, so really, why stray from who they are? They shouldn’t and haven’t.

Winning Isn’t for Everyone

Winning isn't for everyone

Winning isn't for everyone.

Winners often have a #positive impact on #humanity. Winning usually drives people to push their limits, #discover new capabilities, and #achieve great things. This desire to #win encourages us to leave our comfort zones and explore our true #potential, raising #standards for everyone. However, defining a 'good' or 'bad' person is complex. For example, am I a good person if I support my team to create #synergy and inspire those around me, but then cause a severe car accident impacting another family financially? Or am I a good person if I'm a selfish winner who #motivates others by example but never supports my #teammates? Or, am I a bad person if I #sacrifice myself to help others to achieve their #goal, but never able to get my #priorities dialed? The concepts of '#good' and '#bad' are not black and white. Many #variables and #perspectives influence how we define someone as a good or bad person. However, this is a great video that can spark up some profound discussions and let people share their ideas about the topic of 'winning = bad?'. #NIKE

"What's mine is mine - and what's yours, is mine" 👏 Impressive yet subtle cropping, face tracking, time warping, and probably AI upscaling to get these clips all in the right ratio/aspect for something like this. Using stock/archive footage can often be hard especially cause it's often not at the right fps or the right resolution. A+ to whoever made this happen and A+ to Adobe after effects for powerful tools.

It’s true, winning isn’t for everyone. But winning isn’t everything. Here’s why… First I wanna say I LOVE this Nike video. As a former athlete it spoke to me. The mindset, focus, and work ethic athletes need to be the best is often misunderstood. We’re sometimes seen as bad people, and winning can validate that chip on our shoulder. When I shared this video with my cofounder, Ian Minor, he pointed out to me that, while these attributes are positive in sports, outside of the game, they can make someone seem bad. And he’s right. Winning isn’t everything. We must succeed off the field too. We can all think of sports stars who made headlines for not being good people. Yes, to succeed at our craft, we have to be relentless. But when the clock runs out and the game is over, we must temper these qualities with empathy and integrity. Take Michael Jordan, for example. He didn’t just win games; he also made an impact off the court. After a big win, he would take the time to sign autographs and connect with fans, showing kindness and humility. So while winning isn’t for everyone, it’s a winner’s responsibility to be more. True success is about winning in life, both on and off the field. Can the same be said for business leaders? #BeBrave to #BeHumble