After a successful Euro2016, you would be justified in thinking that Nike’s branding couldn’t get much better… but then it goes and launches its a “Unlimited Future” campaign.
The latest video is a continuation of a series of films produced by Nike that celebrates the unlimited potential of athletes willing to go beyond their limits.
What separates this from being merely motivational shlock is the advert’s clever subversion of well-known tropes. In the world of sports films, motivational speeches from coaches are a dime a dozen and have inspired athletes to achieve more than they ever thought humanly possible. Think Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans, Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday, and Samuel L. Jackson in Coach Carter. What has never been seen before is having of these speeches being given to a room full of babies.
No, this isn’t the trailer to the seminal film Baby Geniuses 3 (yes, there were two previous installments), but you’d be forgiven for thinking so when Bobby Cannavale delivers a rousing inspirational message to infant versions of Nike athletes: LeBron James, Neymar Jr., Serena Williams, Mo Farah and Zhou Qi. But, despite his audience, Cannavale’s speech doesn’t resort to any baby talk. He tells the babies just how it is with an unwavering sincerity and seriousness. His message: everyone will face obstacles in their lives, but ultimately they will determine their own destinies.
It’s oddly moving and a message that has certainly had a resonance with a number of athletes, with Qatari High Jumper Mutaz Barshim also getting involved with a recent post on his Instagram account related to the campaign.
Launching today across multiple Nike digital channels, the film (which was directed by acclaimed Whiplash director Damien Chazelle) intends to kick off a summer of sport. You might be in the age where you’re both too young and too old to be wearing diapers, but don’t let that stop you from fulfilling your potential.
