Nike: The Roger Effect

The world’s most powerful sports brand team up with the world’s greatest ever tennis player to give us a brand awareness commercial that many will feel is a good reflection of some plain hard facts. Here, we analyze Nikes “The Roger Effect” TV ad and give it scores out of 10 for memorability, effectiveness, style, humor, and exception. See our scores and compare them to your own.

Memorability – 8 / 10

For visual impact, a lot of the scenes in this clip are darkened. This goes a long way in ensuring the advert is very eye catching and dramatic compared to the swarm of light shaded adverts that we’re more accustomed to. Federer’s alluring style is well captured and the joke behind the whole concept feels truthful and highly relatable for all tennis fans. This player really does have an effect on viewers by making them want to get out and play. It’s a very clever portrayal that will have many fans nodding and laughing in agreement.

Effectiveness 8 / 10

The advert certainly appeals to every tennis fan’s desire to recreate what they see stars pull off on the screen. It’s a pronounced effect that tennis tends to have on viewers in general. Seeing the sport played by pro’s always makes you want to play it. And no other player better represents this effect than Roger Federer. It’s a very good casting, perfectly shot and built on a very relative concept.

Style – 9 / 10

The scenes are stunning, as you would expect from the world’s leading sports brand. The dark, gritty, and slow moving cinematography adds a defining level of drama and gravity to the clip. The fans in the crowd are mostly young sporty characters and which represent perfect examples of Nike’s target market. The unique and renowned movement style of Roger is captured perfectly to bolster the message of the ad. “Roger’s the best. If you want to copy him, copy him all the way”. A very attractive notion that many millennials and younger tennis fans will appreciate wholeheartedly.

Heart or Humor – 8 / 10

The humor is first-class. No expense has been spared to use a crowd that is both real, and gigantic. The impressive scale of the ad is what gives it it’s jaw dropping X-factor. The scenes are all beautiful, hard to forget, and the clip is completely filled with funny moments that viewers will not tire of seeing over and over. An excellent example of using the personality of a sports star to convey your message without the need for excessive dialogue.

Execution – 9 / 10

This commercial is truly hard to blow holes in. The visuals are captivating, the script is perfectly non-existent, the choreography is easy on the eyes and the humor is very catchy. Drenching Roger in gold would have been the only aspect I can think of that would make this concept more superficial and further in line with Nike’s ethos of aesthetics playing an integral role in sports. Aside from that tiny misfire, this commercial ticks all the most important boxes with flying colors.