Thesis: This Nike advertisement successfully motivates people to purchase their product by connecting with the audience on a human level, showing a great level of passion and patriotism, and pure simplicity.
In preparation for the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa, a number of companies took the time to create many compelling visual advertisements. With the major producers of soccer equipment leading the way. It was very hard to turn on the tv and watch a sports channel that was not displaying something about the World Cup or a commercial advertising a product relating to the World Cup. The two leading competitors in this market are Nike and Adidas. Both companies put out strong and very convincing advertisements months before the World Cup even began. Their goal was to gain the interest of soccer fans, young and old, who were looking for news updates on the World Cup, hoping that these viewers would be inspired to invest a little more in some nice equipment. The image above displays Wayne Rooney. Wayne was born and raised in England and is the epitome of an English footballer. Wayne does not put up with anything and does not care what others think of him or his playing style. He is tough, scrappy, quick, strong, and always seems to get the job done no matter what his task on the pitch. Almost every English fan loves him for these exact reasons. After all, who wouldn't root for such a strong hometown boy. Although it appears he is drenched in blood in the picture, he is actually painted with the colors and symbol on the English flag with a large red cross in the middle and a pure white background. To the average person passing by, this commercial may look quite strange and over the top. Nike, however, knows their audience quite well and a true soccer fan would be ashamed if they did not understand the symbolism behind this advertisement right away. I personally am a fan of Nike over Adidas and a huge fan of Wayne Rooney. I grew up watching him play and fell in love with his style so much so that I would try to replicate it whenever I got on the field. It is for these reasons that I chose this advertisement. I love the simplicity of it and I love how it is not just your average athletic commercial. There is a deeper meaning within the picture and it is filled with so much passion and patriotism. Although I am a major fan of the United States soccer team and would root for them in a match against England without any thought, I cannot say I would be upset if Wayne Rooney scored against us.
Ethan, you've got a solid start to a thesis but I think it would help your paper to get as specific as possible in all areas. For example, I want you to think about what specific Nike products is the company trying to sell through the ad? Is it trying to sell a shoe, a pair of shorts, or anything at all (could it be just trying to sell the name brand "Nike")? Who is the audience? In your post, you hint that the audience is meant to be soccer fans, people who would recognize the figure in the image, but your thesis-the essence of your paper-gives no indication of this. Do you see where I'm going with this? Being specific can help you understand what the ad is really about; ask yourself the question: what is this advertisement selling, and how?
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