Ad of the Day: Nike Tests Your Limits as It Redefines 'Just Do It' at 25

Kids, try this at home! Run a marathon! Punch a professional MMA fighter! Humiliate the local street-basketball star! Ride an electric bull in the back of a moving pickup truck! Tell them Nike told you to do so! For the 25th anniversary of its "Just do it" slogan (memo: you're old), the sportswear company and ad agency Wieden + Kennedy are trying something new, or rather, old: "Just do it" for very broad values of "it." This is a good spot, with the dueling narrators, seamless transitions and some impressive sets—rarely has a 90-second commercial looked so freakishly expensive. The dance party, the marathon, the blacktop, the table-tennis room and the football game all have a surprisingly large number of extras involved, and then there's the use of actual sports stars to put the cherry on the whole thing. It's a massive undertaking by W+K, and director Nicolai Fuglsig manages to keep the whole thing fluid not merely by having the lead actors dress the same way from fantasy to fantasy, but by editing the shots together so that they switch over in the middle of a pan. It's impressive. Bradley Cooper is adequately wry with his voiceover. And good choice of music, too: "Future Starts Slow" off Blood Pressures by The Kills. Overall, it's a good, anthemic lead spot for the campaign, with branding that drives the viewer back to the slogan without slapping him or her in the face with it for a minute and a half. And it successfully suggests you can move beyond what you thought were your physical limits, even if you have but a fraction of the talent of a Piqué, Williams or James. (Also, look for the cameo by Chris Pine.) Moving beyond the TV spot, viewers can also explore their own "Possibilities" through activations including Nike+ Running and NikeFuel challenges. One quibble: The rhino-riding shot is supposed to be cool, but it just makes me sad. CREDITS Client: Nike Spot: "Possibilities" Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Global Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’Rourke Agency Executive Producer: Matt Hunnicutt Copywriter: Edward Harrison Art Director: Sezay Altinok Agency Producer: Anna Smith Agency Associate Producer: Kirsten Acheson Account Supervisor: Vanessa Miller Account Director: Karrelle Dixon Head of Production: Ben Grylewicz Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples, Susan Hoffman Business Affairs Manager: Amber Lavender Production Company: MJZ Director: Nicolai Fuglsig Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson Producer: Suza Horvat Director of Photography: Greig Fraser First Assistant Directorts: Cliff Lanning, John Lowe, Todd Thompson Production Designers: Jeremy Hindle, Peter Andrus Wardrobe Stylists: Keith Wager, Charlotte Chadwick Location Manager: Dave Doumeng Production Supervisor: Evan Wilson Sports Coordinators: Mike Fisher, Darren Tyson White Spain Production Company: Widescope Productions Service Executive Producer: Iñaki Villarias Service Line Producer: Karim El Masri Editing Company: Rock Paper Scissors Editor: Angus Wall Post Producer: Toby Louie Post Executive Producer: Carol Lynn Weaver Assistant Editor: Austyn Daines Visual Effects Company: A52 Visual Effects Executive Producers: Megan Meloth, Jennifer Sofio Hall Visual Effects Producer: Scott Boyajan Visual Effects Supervisor: Andy McKenna Computer Graphics Supervisor: Kirk Shintani Massive Pipeline Technical Director: Chris Janney Color, Lighting Lead: Ian Ruhfass Flame Artists: Andy Barrios, Hugh Seville, Paul Heagney, Steve Wolff, Cameron Coombs, David Parker Computer Graphics Artists: Adam Carter, Caleb Hecht, Tom Connors, Tim Donlevy, Vivian Su, Joe Chiechi, Wendy Pham, Cody Woodard, Joe Panliagua, Michael Lori, Adam Newman, Andrew Romatz, Shelby Strong Music: "Future Starts Slow" by The Kills Sound Design: Barking Owl Mix Company: Lime Studios Mixers: Rohan Young, Loren Silber Producer: Jessica Locke Voiceover: Bradley Cooper

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Nike Tests Your Limits as It Redefines 'Just Do It' at 25

Bradley Cooper voices grand new spot

Sam Thielman

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Sam Thielman