What is Nike really trying to sell?

I came across this Nike ad while searching for marketing campaigns that featured female athletes. Serena Williams is one of the most well known female athletes in the world and is one of the best female tennis players as well. I studied the ad for a while and could not find anything positive about it. Nike is using Serena's "titles" or in other words her breasts to promote their brand. What does this say about Nike as a brand? I feel that it is stating that they are a brand that cares about getting attention by any means. Ads such as these show that Nike has no concern for gaining the right type of attention for their brand, but that they are willing to sexualize female athletes and their body parts to help market their brand. What kind of message does this send to female athletes? It seems that with ads like these Nike is more concerned with marketing the body parts and looks of female athletes rather than their athletic ability. I think that Nike should take a better approach to their marketing strategies and market their female athletes while they are exhibiting their athletic abilities. I feel Under Armour did a good job of doing this when they marketed Olympian Skier Lindsey Vonn in the Dick’s Sporting Goods ads by showcasing her skiing abilities and not focusing on her physical appearance. Hopefully Under Armour is starting a new marketing trend that promotes female athletes in a more positive, unsexualized manner, and that other brands like Nike decide to follow and decide to market their female athletes better in the future.

Adam Grubb

Kin 338i

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