Extra! Extra! Nike Returns to Its Roots

Advertiser: Nike

Agency: Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore.

Challenge: Use Nike endorsers to best advantage.

The Ad: As a sunny song plays in the background, Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Kordell Stewart uses his powerful arm to deliver newspapers as he jogs through a quiet suburban neighborhood. He sends one paper crashing through a front door (setting off the burglar alarm), propels a paper-catching dog backward and rips off the arm of a homeowner with a forceful throw. The spot ends with the legend, “What are you getting ready for?”

Comment: It’s nice to see a Nike ad that doesn’t raise athleticism to a religion (as in the “I Can” campaign), hammer away at viewers with politically correct messages about gender (girls and basketball) and race (Tiger Woods), or simply get in your face (skateboarding). Nor does this ad work overtime to give Stewart, one of the NFL’s promising young stars, a bigger-than-life personality (Li’l Penny). This ad is absurdly funny, helped by the ironically upbeat music composed by Santa Monica-based Elias Associates. It is comical, hip and true to the brand’s roots as an athletic shoe. $$$$

*

Ads are rated from $ to $$$$, based on tastefulness and probable effectiveness, with $$$$ being highest.