Nike | Just Do It

How do you wrap up a multiple-season long phenomenon in sports, all the while rallying a fan base who just suffered through a loss in their team’s biggest game ever?

I imagine the brief didn’t say that, but it may has well have. I also imagine whoever wrote that brief was able to be far more eloquent than I.

Truth is, these ads are near and dear to me. I went to University of Oregon and dreadfully remember the game that happened, right before these rolled out. For those who don’t know, it was the 2011 College Football National Championship against Auburn University. I was feeling a lot of things after that. But, it was a close one, so at least I didn’t feel like we’d been embarrassed.

Then I saw these hit the Internet, later—and they really did cheer me up. I wasn’t at the game, so I didn’t see them on-site like a few friends did. That must have been odd. For me, they made me forget about the result for just a moment. Yeah, I got suckered in. The ads worked on me.

Looking back now, I can see that they were just some wonderfully crafted lines. Nike was producing a lot of writing in this similar vein back then, but I’d argue that these stick out. The writing is vague, but it all makes sense when you throw in the logo and the school’s uniform. They speak to accomplishments to be proud of even in the face of defeat. They’re about progress and making…well…change.

If it weren’t for the numerous Super Bowl commercials this writer had already penned at the time, I’d suggest that these alone would be more than enough to keep him gainfully employed for the long haul.

Beautiful job.