The Creatives Room

Nike's Greatest Ads

No brand has a stronger creative legacy in advertising than Nike. Since the launch of 'Just Do It' in 1988, Nike has treated every campaign as an opportunity to say something meaningful about sport, competition, and what it means to push yourself. Working primarily with Wieden+Kennedy, the brand produced some of the most celebrated films, print ads, and campaigns in advertising history - work that didn't sell shoes so much as it sold a way of seeing the world.

The campaigns in this collection

  1. You Can’t Stop The Future - Nike · Wieden+Kennedy · 2020

    Nike needed to build deep cultural relevance among Japanese youth navigating a culture of strict social conformity, pressure, and unspoken prejudices. The work taps into the insight that young people in Japan often feel forced to suppress their true identities, but find agency, voice, and belonging

  2. We The People: Chance the Rapper - Nike · Wieden+Kennedy · 2016

    Nike commissioned Chance the Rapper to write an anthem for the USA basketball teams heading to Rio in 2016. Directed by Hiro Murai and shot in black and white, footage of the men's and women's squads is projection-mapped onto houses and buildings, so the players appear on the fabric of the neighbour

  3. Don't Make Plans - Nike SB · 2022

    The launch film for Ishod Wair's Nike SB signature shoe, built on how he actually skates: he never knows where the day will go and will skate anywhere with anyone, so the one rule is not to make plans. Directed by Bennett Johnson under SB's Come As You Are platform, it runs as an easter-egg-laden ho

  4. #WeBelieveInThePowerOfLove - Nike · 2017

    Nike "We Believe In The Power Of Love". Nike frames sport and unity around the power of love.

  5. Chase It - Nike · 2016

    Nike "Chase It". Nike frames the relentless pursuit of your goals.

  6. Dreams Shouldn’t Wait - Nike · 2019

    Nike "Dreams Shouldn't Wait". Nike urges athletes not to defer their dreams.

  7. Stronger Than One - Nike · 2021

    Nike "Stronger Than One". Nike frames collective strength that goes beyond the individual.

  8. The Real MVP - Nike

    Nike "The Real MVP". A parent's emotional moment frames the unsung support behind every athlete.

  9. Match Maker - Nike · 2018

    Nike "Match Maker". An ordinary community-pool scene frames sport as something for everyone, every day.

  10. Powerwall - Nike · Sunst Studio · 2021

    Nike "Powerwall". A lab-like invention scene frames the technology and craft behind the product.

  11. This Is Us - Nike · Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam · 2017

    To challenge conservative gender norms in Turkey that relegate women to domestic roles and discourage female athleticism, Nike aimed to empower Turkish women to redefine their societal identity. Built on the insight that women are constantly told who they should be by traditional culture, the creati

  12. Lost & Found - Nike · 2022

    A documented release film for the Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Lost & Found,' made in partnership with Berlin sneaker retailer Asphaltgold, directed by Viktor Heinz with DP Elias Kohler, concept by Wyron Abrajano, CGI by Richard Rilinger. The shoe itself was designed to look like an original 198

  13. Crew - Nike

    Directed by Jacob Sutton - frameset.app/search/brand/nike/crew

  14. My Time Is Now - Nike · Wieden+Kennedy London · 2012

    Nike aimed to dominate conversation around Euro 2012 without being an official tournament sponsor by appealing directly to the ambition of young amateur players. Grounded in the insight that aspiring athletes don't just want to watch their heroes but actively crave taking their place, the campaign r

  15. Watch Us Win: Why We Do It - Nike · 2021

    A look inside Nike's innovation culture that argues progress in sport is never a straight line. It frames breakthroughs as the product of curious teammates bringing order to ambiguity and getting "in the weeds" until ideas catch fire, positioning Nike as a place where collective sparks, not lone gen

  16. Air Max DN8 - Nike

    Nike "Air Max DN8". A Nike product spot launching the Air Max DN8.

  17. Scary House - Nike · Wieden+Kennedy Portland · 2000

    To stand out during the highly earnest 2000 Sydney Olympics, Nike sought to inject irreverent, pop-culture humor into the athletic wear category. The strategy taps into the classic slasher-film trope where victims inexplicably fail to outrun slow-moving killers. Directed by Spike Jonze, the commerci

  18. Freestyle - nike · Wieden+Kennedy · 2001

    Basketball players handle the ball as percussion - every dribble, squeak and bounce cut to a beat - turning skills practice into a music video with no game situation at all. The insight is that street basketball's real culture is expressive rhythm and style, closer to dance and hip-hop than to organ

  19. Make Every Yard Count - Nike · wieden+kennedy · 2014

    To connect its global 'Just Do It' ethos to India's national obsession with cricket, Nike targeted the passionate, unofficial 'gully cricket' scene. The campaign was built on the insight that for the millions of everyday players, every run and every inch of ground is fought for with professional-lev

  20. Leave Nothing - Nike · wieden+kennedy · 2008

    Two American football players run at each other in slow motion under a swelling orchestral score, and the film cuts to black before the collision, on the line: leave nothing. The insight is that the appeal of the sport is not the outcome but the willingness to spend everything on one moment. The str

  21. Play for the World - Nike · wieden+kennedy · 2020

    At the start of the pandemic Nike ran a text-only film telling athletes: 'If you ever dreamed of playing for millions around the world, now is your chance. Play inside, play for the world.' The insight is that Nike's entire brand is an imperative to get out and move, so lockdown was an existential c

  22. Never Too Far Down - Nike · Wieden+Kennedy · 2020

    Assembled entirely from archive footage of the greatest comebacks in sport - teams and athletes written off, then not - and released while the stadiums stood empty. The insight is that a brand with nothing to sell in a moment of collective stasis can still say the only thing worth saying: this is no

  23. For once, Don’t Do It - Nike · Wieden+Kennedy · 2020

    In the days after George Floyd's murder, Nike inverted the most valuable phrase it owns to read 'For once, Don't Do It.' The idea works by spending brand equity rather than displaying it: the line only lands if you already know 'Just Do It', and the subversion signals this is not business as usual.

  24. Victory Swim - Nike · wieden+kennedy · 2020

    Nike built a full-coverage swim collection - hijab, tunic and leggings engineered to work wet - and the film simply shows Muslim women swimming, diving and competing in it. The insight is that for many women the barrier to sport was never ability or desire but the absence of kit that let them enter

Why this collection is worth studying

Nike's archive is essential study for any creative. Not because you should make Nike-style ads, but because the brand demonstrates what happens when a client and agency trust each other completely over decades. The work gets braver, more specific, and more culturally embedded with every year. That kind of creative ambition is rare - and worth understanding.

See also

Nike's Best Ads & Campaigns - The Creatives Room