Nike turns 50 in May and it is celebrating it with a 4.45 minute music video commercial, Seen It All, starring Spike Lee in his role as Mars Blackmon. Lee also directed the commercial.
Mars Blackmon’s fame began in 1986 with the film, She’s Gotta Have It, which Lee also directed. In the film, Blackmon is a Brooklyn-loving fan of the New York Knicks, sports and Air Jordans, the basketball shoes Michael Jordan wore (and made famous). Nike picked up on the trend and made a number of Air Jordan commercials with Jordan and Blackmon (Spike Lee), which led to the phrase, It’s gotta be da shoes, entering pop culture. That phrase is also the climax of the new commercial.
The new commercial co-stars Indigo Hubbard-Salk, who starred in the 2017 comedy drama series, She’s Gotta Have It, based on the original film, also directed by Spike Lee. It also features more than 40 legendary and contemporary Nike athletes.
To support the anniversary campaign, Nike is providing access to exclusive content from the Department of Nike Archives (DNA), which houses some of the most significant artifacts of Nike’s first 50 years. The content is available through a variety of digital storytelling and physical retail experiences to give people throughout the world an inside look at content curated with DNA.
The commercial was released first on Twitter:
Our new film starring & directed by Spike Lee will leave you guessing. #nike50
Watch Now!
— Nike (@Nike) May 15, 2022
