Winning isn’t for everyone. Neither is running. But Wieden + Kennedy Portland and Nike are playing tribute to the determination of those who do run, with the latest iteration of Winning isn’t for Everyone, the campaign it launched around the Olympics.
Winning isn’t Comfortable is timed to embed Nike in marathon season, alongside the brand’s sponsorship of marathons in Shanghai, Chicago and Melbourne. It is made up of four films that highlight the arduous, soul-testing side of running, the first of which is Sunshine, its irony underscored by a new version of You Are my Sunshine by Christina Perri, applauding the resilience of runners who brave pelting rain, muddy puddles, being splashed by cars and the dark.
The campaign aligns Nike with those who reach beyond average limits and positions Nike as the brand for “winners”. The surge in advertising responds to a downturn in Nike’s superiority (prestige as well as sales) among sports brands as new brands such as Hoka, and old brands such as Brooks Running gain ground in its territory. The new extension also features Nike’s Pegasus range of running. Sunshine features college basketball player, JuJu Watkins.
A second spot, Morning, focuses on the dread of waking up to a run.
All four films were directed by Megaforce and are supported by an OOH campaign – also running in Nike’s social channels – that carries mottos such as, “If you don’t hate running a little, you don’t love running enough.”
