“Lace Up, Save Lives” is a NIKE sponsored initiative, in conjunction with charity RED, one that is targeted at spreading awareness and acting as a reminder that HIV still exists and action to combat Aids continues in 2010. To Western society HIV is a distant day to day scenario. Nike and RED are portraying themselves as activists, health campaigners- here Nike fit suitably to represent health as they are the brand, rated highly to promote and motivate society to participate in a sports lifestyle, as well as being associated with multiple identities that directly represent African descent, personas that are idolised by Africans and Black ethnicities.
The slogan “Lace Up, Save Lives” gives the reader a sense of guarantee that this project fulfils its objectives and can make a difference, message being that the HIV epidemic in Africa should be the concern of all living human, regardless of race, HIV is a World Problem and the Responsibility of the Human Race. The short motion picture and still image advertisement are subject to this campaign analysis.
Men are the majority, as solely one woman cameos in this video and this is significant of the campaign being focused on Africa and the 2010 World Cup and football being a male dominated sport. To those not aware of the World Cup focus, the practically absent presence of female sport figures in the ad could be suggestive of the sporting world and that women are the secondary influence when it comes to using gender body’s to impose and change societal views. Who or What is the Power Tool for “Lace Up, Save Lives”? Tennis and hair pigtails are the only components attached to women in this ad. Is this Nike mocking the conventional female sporting prototype? The female athlete appears misplaced amongst the remaining cast and I guess this is the only flaw in the campaign.
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Football and Basketball are the primary driving force sports within this video, however, other sports and activities are acted out such as Boxing and listening to Music, all being central, culture pointers and references to Black History (such as Muhammad Ali) and popular culture. Although the clowning and trickery in these captions, act as a means to deflect from the severity and reality of HIV in Africa and death, the advert evidently transmits and manifests the ultimate message.
Drogba (the footballer) highlights the charities collaboration most effectively via the single image advertisement. The laces arranged to illustrate a football or the surface of the Globe are magnified and the black athlete’s face is faded into the background. The face acts as a silent subtitle and it is placed centre of the world, what one assumes to strategically mirror Africa and it’s people. The gesture of Drogba holding up the world is an outspoken political statement that WE, the WORLD can confront disease i.e HIV in Africa, and as the laces are tightened, the world becomes UNITED by this movement.
NIKE´s relation with RED triggers an automatic response, as the “Just Do It” slogan is subconsciously heard, consumers are influenced to respond, to follow, support and buy- NIKE being the perfect collaborative partner to empower and achieve mass awareness, plus add credibility to the status of the RED charity and any other in the foreseeable future. The Lace Up, Save Lives campaign executes the RED initiative successfully. Are laces the future for NIKE to be recognised as a charitable and good humanitarian organisation for the long term. The prospects of NIKE in the charity world seem infinite. NIKE could work with multiple charities and produce the colour of laces according to the charity supported and tailor campaigns with relevant sports and identities to make each initiative UNIQUE and a GLOBAL, powerful movement. Do the Laces hold the longevity factor? Also note: RED, the colour and charity name- does it symbolise the passion to fight HIV, and/ or the blood of dying HIV sufferers or of those opting for healthy living?
Own a pair of RED Laces, I DO. “Lace Up, Save Lives” the NIKE charity slogan is TIMELESS and departs this analysis with an open ending.
Firstly i’d like to say that i feel this blog entry is very well written, I enjoyed reading it and it does raise important questions, especially about the female role in the advert.
ReplyDeleteI think the timing of the ad and where it's going to be shown most must be taken into account in relation to the points right raised about the ad being male domintated, and moreover, football dominated.
The reason being is that the World Cup is undeniably a MEGA event which tens of millions of people will be watching, I do agree that the female is pointless, but the basketballer is pointless as well in the same respect.
I do feel that they could have replaced both of them with African players such as Michael Essien (Ghana) and Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), and the reason I say those two in particular, is because of the link you make between Drogba being almost used as a link between africa-football-and the world.