Nike: Designing for Inclusion
I chose a commercial that holds a very special place in my heart. This Nike ad features a WNBA star named Elena Delle Donne and her sister. Delle Donne’s sister, Lizzie, has cerebral palsy, autism and is deaf and blind. The video promotes Elena’s new line of FlyEase shoes. The shoes are designed for people with disabilities. The ad doesn’t mention their names. However, for my analysis I will be using their names.
First, let’s analyze the story structure of this Nike ad. Our characters are two sisters, Elena and Lizzie. Elena’s goal is to demonstrate her special bond with Lizzie. The challenge Elena faces is how to express the impact Lizzie has on life and career choices. Elena resolves that challenge by revealing her sister as her inspiration and strength.
Now let’s take a closer look at the story arc, setting, and the characters for this Nike ad. The story begins with Elena carrying Lizzie on a crisp, fall day. Immediately, the audience sees the drastic differences between the sisters. The camera focuses on Lizzie’s curled hands and moves to Lizzie’s face. Elena is carrying Lizzie as she narrates. She starts by saying, “my sister has been carrying me my whole life.” Both sisters are smiling and enjoying each other’s company. During the first half of the ad, the camera is behind the sisters and focuses more on Lizzie and the fall weather. As they walk into the gym, the camera angle switches to be in front of the sisters. The audience finally sees Elena’s full face has she says, “she is the big sister.” A basketball game starts to be mixed into images of the girls walking in. The next image features a one-handed basketball player tightening their shoe and running across the screen. The camera then pans to the bleachers where Elena and Lizzie are enjoying the game. The camera angle reveals Elena and Lizzie are also wearing the same shoes as the one-handed player. There’s an overhead shot of the game as Elena narrates the last line. As she says, “but she’s the one carrying me”, Elena is talking directly to the camera. The ad ends with a very a similar shot from the beginning. It concludes with Elena holding Lizzie as she enjoys the fall weather.
This Nike ad uses many different techniques to get the narrative across. The narration is perfectly aligned with the story. For example, as Elena says she is the little one looking up, the image shows her looking up to Lizzie. The serene music and natural sounds also helped enhanced Elena and Lizzie’s special relationship. I also liked the variety of camera angles. The camera allowed the audience a glimpse into the sister’s special bond. Finally, the ad used a bookend structure. The story used similar dialogue and images at the start and at the end. The audience is left feeling a sense of satisfaction.
I believe the conflict in this ad is character vs. society. Elena is battling with the social mores of Lizzie’s disabilities. Society thinks Elena is the one carrying and supporting Lizzie. However, Elena reveals that her big sister is the one carrying her. Lizzie provides inspiration and strength in an unconventional way to Elena.
Nike has become one of my favorite storytellers. The brand can be more creative with their storytelling because it is so well known. This ad is more about the story of Elena and her sister than the shoe. I prefer the creative storytelling over a regular shoe commercial. I’m a loyal Nike customer because of their emotional and inspirational stories.
After watching this ad, I explored Nike’s website. I bought my dad a pair of shoes from the Nike FlyEase collection. The shoes are designed lace-free and combines a wraparound zipper. For the past eleven years, my dad has been living with Parkinson’s Disease. This disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. Due to the disease, his ankles have permanently turned in and he is unable to walk. My family and I are always looking for items to help ease the struggle of his daily routine. We are so thrilled with the FlyEase shoes. The shoes fit better and have easier accessibility. It meant so much to me and my dad to find a company that’s inclusive to people with disabilities. I relate to Elena because my dad is my inspiration for all my choices. He’s a fighter and giving up simply isn’t an option.
