Sports has been the lifeblood of civilization since the first recordings of time, all the from the Ancient Olympic Games to its modern descendants in the World Cup tournament. Lofty beginning to this article, I’m aware, but when it comes to sports, advertisers salivate over this near-genetic affinity for sportsmanship and the millions of fans that gravitate toward football, baseball, and numerous other games. Today at right.video, we wanted to take a look into the commercial history of sports advertising and see how the game, both the sport and the advertising, has transformed over several decades as American dominated sports gave way to the truly global. We think, as you’ll soon discover, that not only do these ads rely on the immense collective awe of any particular sport, but also the power of athlete celebrity and the everyday fan.
Director: Roger Mosconi
Production Company: American Eagle
Agency: McCann Erickson
One of the first commercials that can claim to be focused exclusively on sports, “Hey Kid, Catch!” was conceived by Coca-Cola to somewhat rehabilitate the image of Pittsburgh Steelers player “Mean” Joe Green. Though it originally aired in October 1979, its reairing in the 1980 Super Bowl ensured that it left a long-lasting impression, from its simple premise to childlike wonder. Though slicker, more high-quality adverts have been conceived of since, this was the advert that helped set the template for all sports ads to come in the next forty years.
Director: Jim Riswold
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
In the world of basketball, there is perhaps no name as synonymous with the sport as Michael Jordan. Beginning in 1988, at the beginning of his legendary run with the Chicago Bulls, Jordan began the first of numerous Nike commercials. With a legendary sidekick in Spike Lee’s Mars Blackmon, “Hangtime” was designed to promote the Air Jordan III sneakers and helped launch the shoes as the premier urban fashion footwear of the 1990s. The enthusiastic Blackmon would crop up numerous times over Jordan’s long relationship with Nike, fittingly being the man who would say goodbye when Jordan ultimately retired in 2003.
Director: Jim Riswold
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
Created by the same team that helped launch Michael Jordan’s long relationship with Nike, “Bo Knows” is a pretty tongue-in-cheek advert that played on its star athlete’s mastery in two different sports field: football and baseball. Jackson’s versatility may have been slightly exaggerated with this campaign, but it leans into Nike’s dedication to numerous sporting disciplines. It was almost a promise on the part of the shoemaker that no matter what sport you played, Nike shoes would help you in any circumstance.
Director: Bernie Pitzel
Agency: Bayer Bess Vanderwarker
Though Michael Jordan is primarily well-known for his adverts with Nike, it was this campaign with Gatorade that birthed the signature phrase “Like Mike”. Conceived in mind to use Disney’s Jungle Book song “I Wanna Be Like You”, “Like Mike” was forced to adopt its own tune when licensing issues got in the way of the original concept. It was perhaps for the best, with a soothing, rhythmic tune scored to scenes of Jordan playing with children in addition to his official bouts. The tune has resonated with a certain generation of children, becoming a hit modern jingle still fondly remembered by those of age.
Director: Allen Coulter
Production Company: Hungry Man
Agency: BBDO New York
Yao Ming was barely three months into his rookie season with the Houston Rockets, but the Chinese basketball player was an immediate presence in advertising due to his tall stature. Nowhere was his presence more firmly felt than in this advert for Visa, playing on both New York stereotypes and Ming’s own first name. Combine cultural clashes and a cameo appearance from legendary athlete Yogi Berra and you had an advert that felt both quintessentially New York and American at once.
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Production Company: Independent Films Limited
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
If there has ever been an advert that perfectly summed up the immense passion that football creates, then it’s no doubt Nike’s “Write the Future”. Created for the 2010 World Cup tournament, and directed by film darling Alejandro González Iñárritu, this advert is a stunner that leverages a typical football match and elevates it to heights of an epic. Each depicted World Cup match feels as though the fates of nations are at stake and destiny turns on a dime. It would ultimately win the Cannes Lions Grand Prix prize for its soul rousing precision.
Director: Philip Bloom
Production Company: Sid Lee
Agency: The 10 Group
Created to celebrate Team Great Britain’s successes at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Adidas hit upon a deceptively simple conceit: a lip-sync video to a famous Queen song. Shot over the course of two days and with memorable appearances by athletes David Beckham, Chris Hoy, and Jessica Ennis, “Don’t Stop Me Now” was a memorable twist on a classic, while letting the British team have a fun time to revel in their Olympic wins.
Director: Wayne McClammy
Production Company: Hungry Man
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
Just as Michael Jordan’s name is synonymous with the world of basketball, Tiger Woods is to the world of golf. However, this advert is a semi-‘passing of the torch’ moment for the seasoned golfer, focused on him playing a few rounds with new Nike star golfer Rory MclIory. It’s a deceptively simple set-up for an advert: have two well-respected golfers play rounds. Yet it’s this particular game with its the increasingly outlandish competition between two pros that makes this advert a delight for all.
Director: Henry-Alex Rubin
Production Company: Smuggler
Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day
Ten years previously, Nike produced a sincere and moving farewell advert to the then-retiring Michael Jordan. Gatorade were obviously fans of that ad as they took a similar aesthetic approach when it came time for New York Yankees baseball star Derek Jeter’s upcoming retirement. Shot in black-and-white and underscored by Frank Sinatra’s legendary “My Way”, it showcases Jeter walking the New York City streets, interacting with the avid fans that made him a hometown hero. Culminating in the dugouts of Yankee Stadium, “Made in New York” was not only a tribute to Jeter but also to the city that made him a beloved superstar.
Director: Oscar Hudson
Production Company: Pulse Films/A52
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
How do you create a brand-new sports advert in the middle of a crippling global pandemic with no sports events? Nike were able to find a most suitable answer for this final entry, combing through 4,000 individual sports scenes and utilizing clever editing. Showcasing several sports intrinsically tied together via split-screen, “You Can’t Stop Us” showed that the heart of the competitive spirit was still beating despite an unprecedented period in history. With American football star Megan Rapinoe’s encouraging narration setting the tone, this is an advert that promised a return that was impossible to stop.
–––––
We hope that this has been an illuminating journey through the world of sports advertising with us at right.video. As always, we have these ads and numerous others with just a quick search away on our search engine. Whether you’re a footballer or a basketball junkie, rest assured that you’ll find your sports flavour with just a few clicks.
Written by
