2stations

So there I am watching Manchester United play Barca in the Champions League semi final. It’s half time and the ads roll. Ford have done a good job lately, changed the emphasis in their CL ads, they are more fun and focus on people rather than stars. Then the new Nike ad starts.

I think it’s the best ad I’ve seen on TV. After seeing it the first time I had a big smile on my face, a definite wow effect! It gets you right into the action and is more like a first person console game than a conventional advertisement. It’s rare nowadays for an ad to be a talking point but most people I know watching the game on TV mentioned the Nike ad.

No doubt it cost a lot to make and they’ve paid a lot to run it on the networks. It has also racked up over 1.3 million views on Youtube. Tim Street puts that into a dollar perspective and shows the big money is still going to Television. I’d like to know how many people have linked to it or used the link tools in Youtube. That would give a fuller picture and that amount of views must mean great word-of-mouth marketing.

For me it works because:

• It tells a great story
• It’s immersive - you really are there in the action
• It’s aspirational - who hasn’t dreamt of being there, this could be me!
• There’s a link to our own experience - either from playing or from FIFA 08 type of games

I went straight to Nike.com after the game and watched it again. It is indeed a great ad. I think it can inspire us to make user interfaces and services that give you that engaging and immersive feeling. Maybe we just need all the team with a playercam and an rfid to tell us how fast they are running and what their heart rate is.

One interesting detail, the ad was done through the 72andsunny agency in Amsterdam and directed by Guy Ritchie who will no doubt be taking a keen interest in the Champions League final on the 21st. With him being shacked up with Madonna I can’t knock his taste in women, but Chelsea?