Nike commercial fights back

Every day is a struggle in South Africa, albeit a struggle for respect and dignity, or a fight for food or against crime, Nike feels it has a powerful message to share – that through sport, anyone can overcome anything.

A Nike press release explains: Take Benni McCarthy (football), Ashwin Willemse (rugby), Oscar Pistorius (track athlete – sprint) or Portia Modise (women's football) for example. These four athletes alone are proof of how poverty, drugs, disability and inequality can be overcome, by using one's body as a weapon to fight the odds.

To bring this idea to life, the commercial arranges a series of sporting activities into the three stages of firing a gun: loading, aiming and firing. The viewer gets the sense that a gun is being fired, yet it is through the actions of the athletes that this is portrayed, according to Nike.

The voiceover in the commercial may sound familiar – it's that of Presley Chweneyagae, of Tsotsi fame who narrates the athlete's pledge:

My body is my weapon.
This is how I fight.
How I defend, deter, attack.
This is my weapon.
How I defeat my enemies.
How I win my war.
How I make victory mine.
This is my weapon.
This is how I fight.

‘How I Fight' was created by Nike and advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam. It was filmed in Cape Town and directed by Joaquin Baca-Asay.

Nike South Africa's Marketing Director, Ashika Kalyan concludes: “We're very proud of this campaign. It was wonderful to work with local athletes in a South African setting in order to address a national issue – that every day is a fight for South Africans. We can all relate to that because we all have our own personal battles. But no matter who you are or what difficulties you face, by using your body as a weapon, and engaging in sport, you really can bring about positive change in your life, just like the athletes featured in our campaign have done.”

The commercial can be viewed on the website www.justdoit.co.za.