Advocacy of gender equality in Nike’s advertisements
The most effective advertisement is that one that makes you look at it twice and also makes you think about the world at large. Adverts that are created by Nike are a good example of those captivating adverts that touch on the lives of people, and change the mind-set of the society. The brand’s advertisements touch on real issues affecting the society for instance gender equality in sports and thus making the world a much better place for every person. Some of the most captivating advertisements created by Nike include the ‘If you let me play’ campaign that was produced in the year 1995 and the ‘What will they say about you’ campaign that was produced in the year 2017. The two advertisements, though made in different timelines address the same issue of gender equality and the importance of allowing women irrespective of their ethnic background to take part in sports because they are just as capable as the men.
‘If you let me play’
The ‘If you let me play’ that was created by Wieden + Kennedy Amster advertising agency that has worked with Nike for generations. The commercial confronted the social structure of gender in sports during the mid-90s that was gender biased (Grow & Wolburg, 10). Women in the 90s could not take part in many sporting activities mostly because they were considered to be feminine and sporting activities were considered to be for the men (Learn, 43). The commercial featured young girls from different ethnic backgrounds dressed in various sporting attires mostly athletic gears. All the girls speak out the reasons why they should be allowed to play sports enlightening the world about the problems that most young girls face in their respective ethnic backgrounds.
The commercial cited that playing of sports for girls would help them be more confident for Asian girls and it would lower depression rates for white girls, it would lower pregnancy rates for black girls, it would reduce breast cancer statistics (Flynn, 1). Everyone that watched this advert remembers it because it touched on the plight of women at the time (Grow & Wolburg, 13). This commercial which was filmed in black and white featured sad young girls speaking in chant, urging the viewer to allow them take part in sporting activities. This commercial was successful in delivering its message because it was not a sell products advert but rather sell an idea advert. Nike which is always at the front line in understanding the needs of the society around them was able to recognize that there was an under-tapped market in female sport wear (Grow & Wolburg, 25). This commercial helped to create a change in the female sporting world by helping the society to acknowledge that women were under represented when it came to playing sports.
This commercial clearly pointed out that women taking part in sports is not all about the accomplishments on the field but rather the health effects that it has on their lives. The advert blamed the society for not giving women the chance to better their lives through sports (Flynn, 1). The words used in the advert ‘if you let me play’ are sad and they serve as a prompt that women of all ages could not play sports not because they did not want to , but because they were not given the chance to do it. The advert was not really a marketing strategy but rather a truth; it dared parents to allow their daughters to play sports (Grow & Wolburg, 5). It spoke to parents and the society at large to give the girls a chance to become strong and do away with the fragile concept that had been used for years to describe women. This served as a beginning of more women engaging in sports as many parents enrolled their girls in basketball, volleyball, hockey among others with that hope that this would provide the young girls with the framework of a much better life. This Nike advert was effective in influencing girls to engage in sporting activities, showing the role that sports can play in shaping the character of small girls into a strong self-possessed young woman.
‘What will they say about you’
‘What will they say about you’ is a more recent commercial that addresses the issue of gender equality concentrating on Arab women who bound by many traditional barriers are restricted from engaging in many sporting activities. The commercial was created by Wieden + Kennedy Amster for Middle East countries, Russia and Turkey (Mavromanolaki, 1). It is narrated by Fatima Al-Banawi who is a successful Arabic female artist, social researcher and actress, she just like the other women in the commercial have been able to break the norm to become who she is today (Mavromanolaki, 1). It features a group of Arab women taking part in sporting activities like skating, boxing and running, all which are considered to be masculine activities. Women in the Arabic society have a very hard time engaging in sporting activities because their main role is getting married and taking care of children (Abd-Latif, 366).
The commercial helps to show that Muslim women can be much more than just being wives and mothers, they can engage in other productive activities like sports because they are capable. The commercial starts off with a hijab wearing woman running through her village, where other villagers are staring at her in confusion as she runs through dirt without any fear (Butler, 1). A voice then follows speaking in Arabic saying ‘What will they say about you Maybe they will say that you exceeded all expectations, that you should not be here and that this is not a sport for you’. It then goes ahead to illustrate ‘Or maybe, they will say that you are strong, no one can stop you and you are their equal’ (Butler, 1). The advert then moves to women who are boxing and young girls who are showing off their athletic abilities, while another woman with her eyes closed sinks into a swimming pool in a meditative state (Butler, 1). This advert helped to address the fears that Arabic women go through in their daily lives as they struggle to stand out in the male dominated society.
Everything that these women engage in most especially something that is out of the norm is criticized. The advert features five Arabic women who have beaten the odds to become successful in their sporting undertakings, the five share their experiences which are what makes this advert very successful in delivering its message (Mavromanolaki, 1). These are women who have been socially criticized by their friends and families because their choices conflict the norms of their society, but they have not given up. They have broken the boundaries to do what they like and the society has come to accept them. The advert was meant to speak to the Muslim women to break the norms and pursue their interests and they positively received and supported it. The commercial touches on the self-doubt of these women, digging deeper to become an enablement element rather than just a merchandise. The five women that are presented in the advert act as models to help motivate young Muslim girls to energetically engage in sports despites the obstacles that they come across.
Conclusion
Both the Nike adverts were created to help challenge traditional gender roles for the females. Though created in different eras, they help to show that gender equality is an issue that exists in the sporting society and it is something that needs to be addressed. The two adverts touch on the need for women to overcome the barriers of tradition that sees them as fragile as compared to men. It helps show women that they are just as capable as the men when it comes to sports and it is something that they should engage in without any fear. Nike adverts allow women to have higher self-regard and more tangible life plans and life objectives, without any fear. Nike is a brand which like any other brand seeks to find new market segments so that it is able to create its economic benefits. However, through its adverts Nike not only creates the desire for women to purchase Nike sportswear, but also helps to create a legend that when these women purchase any Nike product, they purchase the shifting society and moral norms feeling as well.
Works cited
Abd-Latif, Rozita. “The Perspective of Arabic Muslim Women toward Sport Participation.”
Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, vol. 1, no. 2, May 2010, pp. 364–377. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=51003312&site=ehost-live.
Butler, Alex. “Nike Ad Asks Arab Women Athletes: 'What Will They Say about You?'.”
UPI, UPI, 23 Feb. 2017, www.upi.com/Sports_News/2017/02/23/Nike-ad-asks-Arab-women-athletes-What-will-they-say-about-you/9481487878126/.
Flynn, Bryan. “'If You Let Me Play'.” 'If You Let Me Play' .2012. | Jackson Free Press |
Jackson, MS, www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2012/mar/14/if-you-let-me-play/.
Grow, Jean., Wolburg, Joyce. Selling truth: How Nike’s advertising to women claimed a
contested reality. (2006) Advertising & Society Review, 7
Learn, Sage. “Sports: It’s (Still) a MAN’s World.” Parks & Recreation, vol. 49, no. 11, Nov.
2014, pp. 42–47. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hjh&AN=99423292&site=ehost-live.
Mavromanolaki, Nikitoula. “Nike|What Will They Say about You?” Medium, AD
DISCOVERY AND CREATIVITY LAB, 12 Mar. 2018, medium.com/ad-discovery-and-creativity-lab/nike-what-will-they-say-about-you-e9263c6c9cf6.
Other sections
Outline
Introduction
- A the two Nike advertisement that will be analysed in the essay
- Establishment of the thesis that will guide the essay
Body paragraph
- Analysis of the first advert selected for the study
- The structure of the advert and the people involved in its creation
- The message the advert is trying to convey
- The effectiveness of the advert in conveying the message
- Analysis of the second advert selected for the study
- The structure of the advert and the people involved in its creation
- The message the advert is trying to convey
- The effectiveness of the advert in conveying the message
Conclusion
- A comparison of the two adverts and their effectiveness in delivering their message.
Works cited
- List of sources used both primary and secondary
Thesis and analysis
Gender equality is an issue that exists in the sporting society and it is something that needs to be addressed to help break the barrier that women are faced with in matters regarding taking part in sports.
The two advertisements, though made in different timelines address the same issue of gender equality and the importance of allowing women irrespective of their ethnic background to take part in sports because they are just as capable as the men. ‘If you let me play’ challenged the social construction of gender in sports during the mid-90s that was gender biased. Women at the time could not take part in many sporting activities mostly because they were considered to be feminine and sporting activities were considered to be for the men. The advert blamed the society for denying women the opportunity to better themselves through sports. It helped to create a change in the female sporting world by helping the society to acknowledge that women were under represented when it came to playing sports.
‘What will they say about you’ addressed the issue of inequality among the Arab women who bound by many traditional barriers are restricted from engaging in many sporting activities. The commercial addresses the fears that Arabic women go through in their daily lives as they struggle to stand out in the male dominated society. Everything that these women engage in most especially something that is out of the norm is criticized.
The two adverts touch on the need for women to overcome the barriers of tradition that sees them as fragile as compared to men. It helps show women that they are just as capable as the men when it comes to sports and it is something that they should engage in without any fear.
Rough draft
Some of the most captivating advertisements created by Nike include the ‘If you let me play’ campaign that was produced in the year 1995 and the ‘What will they say about you’ campaign that was produced in the year 2017. The two advertisements, though made in different timelines address the same issue of gender equality and the importance of allowing women irrespective of their ethnic background to take part in sports.
‘If you let me play’ challenges the social construction of gender in sports during the mid-90s that was gender biased. Women at the time could not take part in many sporting activities mostly because they were considered to be feminine and sporting activities were considered to be for the men. The commercial featured young girls from different ethnic backgrounds dressed in various sporting attires mostly athletic gears. All the girls speak out the reasons why they should be allowed to play sports enlightening the world about the problems that most young girls face in their respective ethnic backgrounds. This commercial was successful in delivering its message because it was not a sell products ad but rather sell an idea advert. It spoke to parents and the society at large to give the girls a chance to become strong and do away with the fragile concept that had been used for years to describe women.
‘What will they say about you’ addresses the issue of gender equality concentrating on Arab women who bound by many traditional barriers are restricted from engaging in many sporting activities. Women in the Arabic society have a very hard time engaging in sporting activities because their main role is getting married and taking care of children. The commercial helps to show that Muslim women can be much more than just being wives and mothers, they can engage in other productive activities like sports because they are capable.
