For the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Nike debuted a new ad campaign that immediately made an impact. Billboard, magazine ads, and a TV commercial starring basketball star Lisa Leslie, all featured the tagline, “You don’t win silver, you lose gold.”
The campaign was both widely celebrated and criticized. Some said it represented the grit and determination to win, while others saw disrespect and a lack of sportsmanship. Either way, it sparked an emotional reaction, which is exactly what the brand was aiming for.
Now, Nike is unveiling its newest ad campaign ahead of the Paris Games, and it will undoubtedly spark similar reactions. For some, “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” will be an anthem for the uncompromisingly competitive. Others will deem it an ode to the total a**hole.
Created with agency Wieden+Kennedy, it’s narrated by legendary actor Willem Dafoe, and features athletes from a variety of sports. You’ve got basketball stars like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, Sabrina Ionescu, and A’ja Wilson. There’s also Serena Williams, soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Sophia Smith, and Vini Jr., as well as sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, fencer Bebe Vio, runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen, tennis star Qinwen Zheng, and more. The clips of Kobe Bryant remind us that this is Mamba mentality scaled far beyond basketball.
Am I a bad person? Tell me, am I?
I’m single-minded. I’m deceptive.
I’m obsessive.
I’m selfish.
Does that make me a bad person? Am I a bad person? am I?
I have no empathy.
I don’t respect you.
I’m never satisfied.
I have an obsession with power. I’m loud.
Am I a bad person?
Tell me, am I?
I’m irrational.
I have zero remorse.
I have no sense of compassion. I’m delusional.
I’m maniacal.
Do you think I’m a bad person?
I think I’m better than everyone else.
I want to take what’s yours and never give it back. what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine.
It then ends on the line, “Winning isn’t for everyone.” Outside the arena of sports, the answer to the question, “Am I a bad person?” would be a resounding yes. But Nike hopes it will highlight the difference between real life and the heat of competition.
The bigger Nike story
Last month, Nike saw its biggest stock drop since 2001. It’s facing steep competition across major sports like running, thanks to a resurgent Adidas, as well as newer players like On and Hoka. Critics point to a lack of innovation, and over-reliance on heritage brands and shoes like Air Jordans and Dunks, instead of pushing its performance products. Nike cofounder Phil Knight’s oft-quoted strategy is “first capture the market for hard core athletes with innovative performance gear and the casual consumer will follow.” Recently, the brand has been accused of getting it backwards, and instead leading with casual consumers. But Nike is working to turn that around. Executives said on an earnings call last month that there are “truly transformative” sneakers coming for spring of 2025.
After decades of dominance, this recent dip in performance appears to have sparked up the swoosh’s own competitive fires. This new campaign then, marks a return of the “f**k you” attitude in Nike advertising that taps into its hardcore athlete pedigree. Dafoe was the voice in that 1996 ad, and returns here.
This isn’t a high fives, smiles, and happy-go-lucky ads approach we saw from Nike for Rio in 2016. Now, it’s not about loving to win, it’s about hating to lose.