My Opinion on Nike

By Ana Páramo

Nike’s PR campaigns are some of my favorite pieces of commercial media. The brand’s campaigns have long been popular for the provocative, conversation-starting commercials and motivating messages that are included. The memorability is not to be understated either. For example, my dad recently shared a link with me for his favorite Nike commercials from back in 2012, the “Find Your Greatness” campaign.

His sharing this with me came on the heels of my recent obsession with Nike’s newest campaign, “Winning Isn’t For Everyone.” The main idea of this marketing strategy is presented in an initial video titled “AM I A BAD PERSON?” When it comes to conversation-starting commercials, this video rendered me both speechless and dying to discuss it at the same time. The voiceover by Willem Defoe invokes the manic, aggressive energy of one of his most iconic characters: the villainous Green Goblin, Norman Osborn’s alter ego from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy. His voice is accompanied by shrill violin as he rants and raves about how he is obsessive, selfish, irrational, and never satisfied. He explains how he has no empathy and doesn’t respect others before addressing the audience: “Does that make me a bad person? Tell me. Does it?”

The first time I saw this commercial, I was covered in goosebumps and hungry for more. To my delight, there were 15 other videos published for the campaign. The message of the campaign was clear: Winning isn’t for everyone. It’s for Nike athletes.” The subjects of these videos range from GOATs (Greatest of All Time) like Lebron or the US National Women’s Basketball team, to lesser known, up-and-coming athletes like Refugee Olympian Cindy Ngamba. Out of all of them, my personal favorite features Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen. 

I’m not exactly an expert or authority on PR being a journalism major, but one thing I do know is tennis. And when it comes to a good pick to represent tennis in this specific campaign, I believe Zheng Qinwen was one of the best possible athletes to choose. For starters, she’s a Nike athlete. Tennis players are very closely connected to their sponsors, from apparel, to shoes, to rackets. Some athletes sponsored by Nike are super famous Grand Slam winners, like Naomi Osaka, Carlos Alcaraz, and Aryna Sabalenka. Though she was well known, being in the top ten and having some notable accomplishments, Zheng’s resume did not compare at the time of release. What she was most well known for, however, was her attitude.

Zheng Qinwen is a diva in all senses of the word. This much is undeniable. She has been known for her controversial on-court behavior. She shouts at officials. She gives cold handshakes. She serves face as she models for Vogue. She exudes confidence and appears unbothered despite her reputation. She is stoney to opponents and kind to fans. Sports tabloids and gossip magazines tear her up. One opponent Emma Navarro (who ironically also has a mixed reputation) said she doesn’t “respect her as a competitor” and called her “cut-throat.” Zheng’s response? She wouldn’t “consider it an attack” since Navarro had lost their match. Absolute diva.

Now to take it back to Nike’s “Winning Isn’t For Everyone”: When you lay all this against the campaign, Zheng exemplifies the themes and core messages. In her video, she bashes her racket against the ball while she calmly asks, “Should I look happy when I’m not? Should I smile when I lose? If I don’t hate being second, how will I ever be first?” Zheng is many things, but it is undeniable that she is unforgettable. You could say she’s single-minded, deceptive, a bad person. You could say she’s cut-throat or petty. I say she just hates losing and will stop at nothing to be a winner. Winning isn’t for everyone. It’s for Zheng Qinwen.

Oh, and she’s now an Olympic gold medalist.