Nike "Leave Nothing"

Most commercials these days have a specific purpose in mind: to sell a brand or product. However, there are several ways in which the advertising teams for these companies try to sell their label. In this specific case, Nike uses the progression of stardom to sell their product. The commercial shows clips from the lives of star football players, Ladainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu, from birth to their literal physical meeting in the NFL. The use of these two stars not only captivates the audiences’ attention but also encourages them to buy Nike products. By being in this commercial, the stars are saying to the public that Nike is their choice of brand and that it should also be yours. After all, if Nike is good enough for these two athletes, who isn’t it good enough for? The use of the star automatically makes the brand more appealing as our culture has a fascination with stars. Lawrence Wenner’s concept of communicative dirt is applicable here because he states that through media there is a “cultural leak” and almost as a source of power (Wenner, 113). It is obvious here that the media is showing the cultural aspect of an obsession with stars and how they have the power to influence.

The commercial is special in the sense that there are no voices or dialogue but only the noise of the crowd, physical hits, and dramatic music. The music becomes increasingly more dramatic as the commercial progresses which keeps the viewer wanting more and culminates at the tackle where we see the Nike swoosh on Polamalu’s glove. The lack of dialogue forces the viewer to focus on the visual of the commercial which is the athletic ability of the two stars. The combination of intense music and no dialogue creates a serious tone which makes the viewer contemplate about how individually they can reach their goals, just like the athletes. The lack of dialogue and physical nature is the voice in this commercial. This commercial would not be successful if it were two arbitrary high school or college athletes. The use of stardom aided by the intense music is meant to bolster Nike’s product and establish a need for the audience to purchase their merchandise.

The idea behind the commercial is “Leave Nothing” which is meant to be read as leave nothing to fate. The fact that star athletes were used is meant to support the idea that the athlete does not leaving anything to fate rather works from day one to become what they want to be. This is portrayed throughout the commercial as they are practicing football and other sports from the start. Furthermore, the commercial illustrates only the athletic ability of the two and how they should be role models as opposed to drawing attention to their personal lives which many commercials do. The amalgamation of all these aspects creates an enticing commercial which makes the audience want to be a member of the Nike product. I am a perfect example because after seeing this commercial, I wanted to get off the couch and choose my own course of life. Although this was just a temporary feeling (as most peoples reactions to commercials are), the initial reaction was there and it was triggered by Nike.