In the past year and a half there have been many injustices against people of color such as the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many hate crimes against Asian Americans. In this commercial Nike not only promotes its brand but addresses a real issue in our world today which is racism. Nike does this by using many rhetorical strategies to appeal to the audience such as its cinematics along with ethos, pathos and logos.
Nike begins this commercial with a gloomy black and white aerial shot of a city with sad piano playing in the background. The producer does this to set a darker mood into the audience, the background music is also very important as it puts the audience into a sad and sentimental mood. As the narrator gives a heartfelt speech about how in sports people are judged not by their color, but by their actions. During the start of this narration many famous faces are shown in their respective sports fields such as Lebron James, Serena Williams, and Megan Rapinoe. The narrator then states that these values and bonds should have no boundaries, and should go beyond just sports. It then shows NBA all star Kevin Durant with a bottle of spray paint expanding the boundaries of a basketball court, transitioning to many others doing the exact same thing. Although subtle, this symbolism is very powerful as it represents the belief that that equality should have no boundaries and shows the boundaries of a basketball court being broken and spread all across the world. As this is happening the music transitions to a slightly more upbeat tune with famous singer Alicia Keys singing “change will come” to give the audience the hope and reassurance that change will come and that these issues can be solved. The commercial ends with the narrator stating that people should have the same opportunities regardless of color and with the powerful statement “if we can be equals here, we can be equals everywhere”, again stating that equality should go beyond just sports.
To begin with, the commercial uses Ethos in a few different ways, the first way being showing a large number of famous athletes and celebrities throughout this commercial. With athletes and celebrities such as Lebron James, Serena williams, Kevin Durant, Michael. B. Jordan and Alicia Keys the audience is more inclined to respect cause of the commercial and also will see Nike as a more credible brand. Next, the narrator states many good points throughout this ad such as the idea that equality has no boundaries, the importance of equality in sports, and the idea that people should be judged by their actions not color. All of these statements are ethics or moral principles that every person should follow, by using these ethics in its commercial Nike establishes itself as not only a more credible brand but also shows the audience that it actually cares about real issues in the world.
Second, this commercial uses pathos extremely effectively to bring out a number of emotions from the audience. The first way pathos is used is throughout this commercial every single person has a very disheartened serious look on their face, this makes the audience empathize with these people and even makes the audience feel sad themselves. Furthermore, the narration in this commercial also uses pathos as the narrator uses a very soft but passionate tone while he speaks, this helps the audience relate to the cause of this commercial while also invoking feelings of guilt and sadness in the audience.
Thirdly, this commercial uses logos very simply but effectively to persuade the audience. Throughout the entire ad the narrator uses simple logic and reasoning to why all people should be treated equally in and out of sports. He uses statements such as that in sports people are judged by their actions rather than their appearance or beliefs, and that if people are treated equally in sports that they should be treated equally everywhere. By using these arguments the author is making the audience more inclined to support the cause of the commercial and understand the importance of equality in our world.
Finally, the cinematography in this commercial is also used in different ways to get different emotions of out of the viewer. First, the entire commercial is shot with a black and white filter, this sets a gloomy mood which can make the audience feel a bit down. Next the music in this commercial is used perfectly as it starts with a mellow piano beat which makes the listener feel sad, and as the commercial goes on it becomes slightly more upbeat and turns into a much more hopeful tune. Lastly, all the scenes of people coming together throughout the ad and especially at the end is very powerful, as it shows that we are all in this fight together and makes the audience feel empowered and hopeful for a brighter future.
In conclusion, I believe that this is a very effective and very well put together advertisement. It uses ethos, pathos and logos very effectively while implementing great music choice and videography. This commercial not only will help Nike attract more customers but also puts a foot down against a very important problem in our world. I think more companies should make commercials that have an impact on the real world while promoting their brand.
Medium, Media, and Technology I 