Nike/John Lewis advert

Audience types
How does it attract the audience
uses/gratifications
theories

The Nike advert uses the voice of a famous american footballer (Colin Kaepernick) who refused to sing the national anthem during a football game in protest of black people being shot by the police force. As a result of this, he lost his job because he stood up for what he believed in. This advert is showing the ideology of what sports men should become and includes examples of sports players who became great athletes despite other people being negative towards them. By including several famous faces in the advert, Nike is attracting a mainstream audience (ages 10-30) and encouraging the public to buy their brand and become the best versions of themselves that they can be. Paul Gilroy's theory of post colonialism applies to this advert because in America ethnic minorities like african-americans were portrayed as powerless in the media, so Colin Kaepernick protested against that. The fact that a lot of the athletes in the advert were from ethnic minorities in a white community proved that they can be powerful and successful despite their portrayal within the media. Furthermore, the audience would use this advert (as part of the uses and gratifications theory by Blumer and Katz) for entertainment and escapism, as well as social integration because they are gaining insight to the circumstances of others through learning about the backgrounds of famous sports personalities. This advert would have also provided a basis for conversation as it was considered quite controversial by the media through the background of the narrator, Colin Kaepernick.
   

The advert begins with a close up of a young person attempting to skateboard on a rail, a task that he fails at several times but still gets up and tries again. There is non digetic sound in the form of fast paced piano music and a voiceover (Kaepernick) who begins to say that if people think your dreams are crazy, that shouldn't stop you from doing them. This immediately engages the audience as it is inspirational and is relatable to them.

We then see clips of disabled wrestlers, an athlete who is a muslim and an athlete who is black. I think that the producers have included these people to emphasise that athletes can come in any form and from any race, and is trying to inspire people to follow their dreams and ignore what society is saying about them. The fact that there is wide range of athletes from different backgrounds shows that the brand want to target a wide range of people. Lisbet Van Zoonen stated that we get the idea of what makes us women from the media.

The voiceover is saying that calling a dream crazy isn't an insult, whilst showing the audience a clip of a surfer riding a massive wave. I think that Nike is implying that no matter how big your dreams are you shouldn't stop just because of what other people say. 

He then goes on to say that you shouldn't aspire to be the greatest runner in your country, but the greatest one in the world. This shows that nothing is impossible and you should spire to be the best ever, not just mediocre. We see a shot of a football team who we don't know, but young people would be able to relate to because everyone starts off as a nobody on a local team. 

This advert also includes a scene where a homecoming queen is also an american football player, proving that she is just as strong as the male players and can play with them. This scene contradicts Liesbet van Zoonen's theory that women are portrayed as the weaker sex within the media, as it shows that women can be strong and important, and they aren't just objectified in the media by being used just for household chores. Also, it shows that girls can enjoy being involved in girly, beauty related competitions as well as sports that are typically considered for males.