Never Done Inspiring
Department of Nike Archives
Nike was built on iconic advertising as much as innovative products, and the approach was just as revolutionary. Dive into the adverts that moved us, and learn about their modern counterparts.
In the early days of the company, many at Nike bristled at the notion of conventional advertising, soulless placements that served only to sell a product. What if there was a way to experiment, to try new things, to let left-field ideas run wild, to dream crazy? And what if our athletes got to tell these stories themselves?
In that spirit, we've reimagined some of our most famous ads to meet the new vanguard of sport, featuring Nike creators and athletes like Naomi Osaka, Sky Brown, Sam Kerr, Marcus Rashford, Feng Chen Wang, Eliud Kipchoge and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This project infuses new life into classic campaigns, enabling our modern roster of personalities to put their own signature spin on some of our most famous ads of all time.
Typhon Vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo
The career of Giannis Antetokounmpo so far has been borderline mythological. In keeping with Giannis's incredible rise in his sport, we've remade a classic Nike Basketball ad to feature Giannis going toe-to-toe with the sleepless god Typhon, the father of all monsters. We thought this fantastical rivalry was the perfect way to commemorate Giannis’s tireless, take-no-prisoners grind.
Boys from Wythenshawe don’t just become champions. They champion change.
Behind every great goalkeeper there’s a ball from Sam Kerr.
Marcus Rashford
Our famous “Dream Crazy” ad is a space for sports culture’s greatest changemakers. In that tradition, this “Dream Crazy” remix features English footballer Marcus Rashford. Marcus is an athlete that transcends sport, using his platform to campaign against racism, homelessness and child hunger. He is the epitome of a modern superstar, one who rises above all expectations of a kid from Wythenshawe.
Sam Kerr
We thought our “Behind every goalkeeper…” tagline was perfect for global football legend Sam Kerr, a modern goal-finding goliath who has scored 59 goals for Australia and, most recently, 39 for Chelsea in 43 games. Sam Kerr is a tornado, and behind every great goalkeeper…
Boys from Wythenshawe don’t just become champions. They champion change.
Behind every great goalkeeper there’s a ball from Sam Kerr.
Marcus Rashford
Our famous “Dream Crazy” ad is a space for sports culture’s greatest changemakers. In that tradition, this “Dream Crazy” remix features English footballer Marcus Rashford. Marcus is an athlete that transcends sport, using his platform to campaign against racism, homelessness and child hunger. He is the epitome of a modern superstar, one who rises above all expectations of a kid from Wythenshawe.
Sam Kerr
We thought our “Behind every goalkeeper…” tagline was perfect for global football legend Sam Kerr, a modern goal-finding goliath who has scored 59 goals for Australia and, most recently, 39 for Chelsea in 43 games. Sam Kerr is a tornado, and behind every great goalkeeper…
Who said woman was not meant to fly.
Sky Brown
As the youngest professional skateboarder currently competing, Sky Brown has inspired an entire generation of young people to pay attention to the sport. We thought remixing our famous “Who Said Woman Was Not Meant to Fly” ad with Sky is the perfect update, because the air is where Sky lives, and—like her name suggests—her presence there is empowering the next generation.
Hit the ball as loud as you can.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka’s impact on culture is louder than her impact as an athlete; by using her voice to speak and advocating for mental health, she’s forever changed the reality of how we approach competition. In this flip of an old Nike tennis ad, we commemorate how Naomi carries herself on and off the court.
Feng Chen Wang Questionnaire
Feng Chen Wang
Though we’ve focused mainly on athletes, art and design is a huge component of Nike’s advertising legacy. That’s why we’re featuring Feng Chen Wang, a rising designer, through the lens of our vintage questionnaire advertisement. Her vision—and her forward-thinking approach to fashion, utility and sustainability—will carry the brand into the future.
There is no finish line.
Eliud Kipchoge
Our “There is No Finish Line” tag is an early glimpse of our ethos, featuring a lone runner powering through a meditative run on a rainy day. We decided to take that vision further with an ad featuring Eliud Kipchoge—the Kenyan runner who was the first in history to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon—in his home country, running down a dirt road, in search of his next milestone.