Nike “Snow Day” Analysis
In the Nike commercial “Snow Day”, the company advertises their new product line and kicks off the winter training apparel campaign by distributing a fun commercial full of rhetorical devices. Nike’s purpose of using rhetorical devices is to sell the new winter apparel to their audience, young adults. Among the advertising techniques, Nike strategically used more than 20 athletes to endorse the new clothing line. Aside from using many rhetorical devices, Nike also utilized digital mediums to their advantage when distributing the commercial through television and online streaming showing, in fact, the commercial is a digital artifact. Because of the reasons briefly stated among others, Nike did a good job influencing the intended audience to buy their product.
The main character in the beginning of the commercial is New England Patriots tight end, Rob Gronkowski. He wakes up inside a small attic bedroom and sees a snow scene outside. He breaks his window with his head because he is so excited for a “snow day”. Once he arrives outside, he meets up with Miami Dolphins defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, throwing a snowball at him. The commercial proceeds showing more than 20 athletes among many sports including NFL football, NBA and WNBA basketball, and hockey. The athletes continually join Gronkowski as they walk towards an open parking lot to play a pick up football game against Suh’s team, also made up of top athletes. The commercial then breaks to Nike’s campaign slogan “Get Out Here”.
An interesting question to start with in this analysis is pondering why Nike used the theme of a snow day in the commercial. Nike could have used other occasions people have the day off, but decided to use the snow day. When the audience thinks of a snow day, they immediately think about specific connotations a snow day brings: being stuck inside, being able to sleep in, and being able to go outside and play in the snow, not mentioning a needed day off of school or work. A snow day fits well in this Nike commercial because as professional athletes, days off are scarce. In reality, professional athletes probably do not have snow days; they are constantly practicing their sport. Nike decided to depict the athletes having a snow day to grow an even deeper sense of relatability with the audience.
Perhaps the biggest rhetorical device Nike used was ethos. Ethos can be defined as the use of reputation and experience from an expert to support claims (Moss & Lanford). Nike used well known athletes to build a sense of approval of the product. Companies, especially major retailers, use the tool of endorsements to sell products and services. The consumer can be reassured with the athletes’ names by the product that the quality they are buying is top notch. One would think if an athlete put his well known, worked for, and trusted name by a product, he would recommend it to the consumer. Not only do the companies benefit from having endorsements, but the athletes are also receiving benefits by being paid to participate. The strategy of athlete endorsements dates way back; but why do companies use it? In a study cited by Florida State University, 178 athletic endorsements among 95 companies were studied to see the profit benefits gained. The study concluded that endorsements, specifically from athletes, expanded sales $10 million on average and increased short term equity by 0.25% (McCormick). Ultimately, the investment of an endorsement can benefit the company by receiving greater profit compared to not using an endorsement. By using ethos, consumers can trust the product Nike is selling in the commercial is one they want and will be happy with in the long term.
Another rhetorical device heavily used in the commercial was pathos, which is how the author evokes emotion in an audience. The mood during the whole commercial is happiness for a day off. Producers of the commercial probably used the snow day theme to relate to the young adult audience since they are the ones that have the most recent memories of snow days. The joy on the athletes’ faces show they also like days off to just have fun; it shows a sense of relatability between the athletes and the consumers. On Nike’s website, it even states that “snow days evoke memories of snowball fights, time off school, and the urge to get outside and play, no matter how harsh the weather is,” (Nike). An example of nostalgia Nike used in the commercial was as Buffalo Bills running back, LeSean McCoy met up with Gronkowski, McCoy’s mother yelled out to the street “bye son, have a good time!”. The use of the mother yelling to her child as he leaves the house is common in friendly neighborhoods where kids play together during childhood years. The producers of the commercial added this to strengthen the emotions of being a kid again. Including the mother figure as a part of the commercial implied reminiscing childhood memories of a snow day.
A second use of pathos in the commercial was the sense of motivation for the viewer. The ending scene shows the athletes playing in the snow like they were kids. The camera angle makes the audience feel they are on the outside looking in, making them want to get outside with the athletes and also play in the snow. It then shows the “Get Out Here” slogan, ending the commercial. The three word slogan is a simple one, but evokes urgency to the audience to get outside. Nike used the demand “Get Out Here” without any leeway. This arouses the sense of wanting to get active and buy the new sportswear, Nike’s ultimate purpose of the commercial.
Nike used another rhetorical device in the commercial called repetition. The few words spoken meant more emphasis on the actual plot of the commercial, the athletes shown, and the pure joyous emotions on their faces. During the closeups of the athletes, many of them said “snow day” with a smile. Saying few words kept the commercial short but also made the point the advertisers were trying to convey, being excited for a day off in the snow. The words were not loaded and kept the attention of the audience. Many times, viewers of commercials stop paying attention if someone is just talking to them. Consumers receive hundreds of digital advertisements a day, so advertisers must keep in mind that attention spans are decreasing and somehow keep the attention of the audience. One strategy companies use to promote products is being straightforward with a simplistic approach as a plot and words being spoken (idrproductions).
As stated previously, Nike was able to reach a broader audience due to the fact it is a digital artifact in the sense that it was shared on multiple digital mediums including TV and different social media platforms. Originally, the commercial aired on TV during a football game and uploaded on YouTube. This made it easy for the commercial to be shared to a wider audience. Nike also used the video on the company’s website along with other pictures/media promoting the new product line. The use of variability or being able to exist in multiple platforms (Manovich), showed it could reach a bigger audience and collect even more profit.
In conclusion, Nike successfully influenced the young adult audience by creating the commercial “Snow Day”. The purpose of promoting the new clothing line was presented in a way consumers will remember. Consumers are more likely to buy Nike’s new clothing line because of the way Nike appealed to the audience emotionally by using the theme of a snow day during the commercial. Using well known athletes, an emotion evoking plot, and repetition of words among other rhetorical devices made the product desirable and ultimately achieved a higher profit for Nike.
Works Cited
Dlugen, Andrew. “How to Use the Rule of Three in Your Speeches.” Six Minutes: Speaking and Presentation Skills, Six Minutes, 27 May 2009, sixminutes.dlugan.com/rule-of-three-speeches-public-speaking/.
idrproductions. “How to Hook Consumers’ Attention in the Era of Short Attention Spans.” IDR Productions, IDR Productions, 25 July 2017, www.idrproductions.com/2017/07/03/hook-consumers-attention-era-short-attention-span.
Nike. “”Snow Day” Film Kicks Off Nike’s #GetOutHere Winter Training Campaign.” Nike News, Nike, Inc., 29 Oct. 2015, news.nike.com/news/winter-training.
Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media . MIT Press, 2010.
McCormick, Dr. Karla. “Athletic Endorsements and Their Effect on Consumers’ Attitudes and Consumption.” National Sporting Goods Association, Florida State University, www.nsga.org/globalassets/management-conference-archives/2013/karla-mccormick.pdf.
Moss, Beverly J, and Andrea Lunsford. Everyone’s an Author. 2nd 2017 ed., W.W. Norton & Co, 2017.
Schad September 22, 2016 2016 Regular Season, Joe Schad., Joe. “Miami Dolphins’ Ndamukong Suh: NFL’s third-Most disliked player.” PalmBeachCoast.com, Cox Media Group, 22 Sept. 2016, dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2016/09/22/miami-dolphins-ndamukong-suh-nfls-third-most-disliked-player/.
In the Nike commercial “Snow Day”, the company advertises their new product line and kicks off the winter training apparel campaign by distributing a fun commercial full of rhetorical devices. Nike’s purpose of using rhetorical devices is to sell the new winter apparel to their audience, young adults. Among the advertising techniques, Nike strategically used more than 20 athletes to endorse the new clothing line. Aside from using many rhetorical devices, Nike also utilized digital mediums to their advantage when distributing the commercial through television and online streaming showing, in fact, the commercial is a digital artifact. Because of the reasons briefly stated among others, Nike did a good job influencing the intended audience to buy their product.
The main character in the beginning of the commercial is New England Patriots tight end, Rob Gronkowski. He wakes up inside a small attic bedroom and sees a snow scene outside. He breaks his window with his head because he is so excited for a “snow day”. Once he arrives outside, he meets up with Miami Dolphins defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, throwing a snowball at him. The commercial proceeds showing more than 20 athletes among many sports including NFL football, NBA and WNBA basketball, and hockey. The athletes continually join Gronkowski as they walk towards an open parking lot to play a pick up football game against Suh’s team, also made up of top athletes. The commercial then breaks to Nike’s campaign slogan “Get Out Here”.
An interesting question to start with in this analysis is pondering why Nike used the theme of a snow day in the commercial. Nike could have used other occasions people have the day off, but decided to use the snow day. When the audience thinks of a snow day, they immediately think about specific connotations a snow day brings: being stuck inside, being able to sleep in, and being able to go outside and play in the snow, not mentioning a needed day off of school or work. A snow day fits well in this Nike commercial because as professional athletes, days off are scarce. In reality, professional athletes probably do not have snow days; they are constantly practicing their sport. Nike decided to depict the athletes having a snow day to grow an even deeper sense of relatability with the audience.
Perhaps the biggest rhetorical device Nike used was ethos. Ethos can be defined as the use of reputation and experience from an expert to support claims (Moss & Lanford). Nike used well known athletes to build a sense of approval of the product. Companies, especially major retailers, use the tool of endorsements to sell products and services. The consumer can be reassured with the athletes’ names by the product that the quality they are buying is top notch. One would think if an athlete put his well known, worked for, and trusted name by a product, he would recommend it to the consumer. Not only do the companies benefit from having endorsements, but the athletes are also receiving benefits by being paid to participate. The strategy of athlete endorsements dates way back; but why do companies use it? In a study cited by Florida State University, 178 athletic endorsements among 95 companies were studied to see the profit benefits gained. The study concluded that endorsements, specifically from athletes, expanded sales $10 million on average and increased short term equity by 0.25% (McCormick). Ultimately, the investment of an endorsement can benefit the company by receiving greater profit compared to not using an endorsement. By using ethos, consumers can trust the product Nike is selling in the commercial is one they want and will be happy with in the long term.
Another rhetorical device heavily used in the commercial was pathos, which is how the author evokes emotion in an audience. The mood during the whole commercial is happiness for a day off. Producers of the commercial probably used the snow day theme to relate to the young adult audience since they are the ones that have the most recent memories of snow days. The joy on the athletes’ faces show they also like days off to just have fun; it shows a sense of relatability between the athletes and the consumers. On Nike’s website, it even states that “snow days evoke memories of snowball fights, time off school, and the urge to get outside and play, no matter how harsh the weather is,” (Nike). An example of nostalgia Nike used in the commercial was as Buffalo Bills running back, LeSean McCoy met up with Gronkowski, McCoy’s mother yelled out to the street “bye son, have a good time!”. The use of the mother yelling to her child as he leaves the house is common in friendly neighborhoods where kids play together during childhood years. The producers of the commercial added this to strengthen the emotions of being a kid again. Including the mother figure as a part of the commercial implied reminiscing childhood memories of a snow day.
A second use of pathos in the commercial was the sense of motivation for the viewer. The ending scene shows the athletes playing in the snow like they were kids. The camera angle makes the audience feel they are on the outside looking in, making them want to get outside with the athletes and also play in the snow. It then shows the “Get Out Here” slogan, ending the commercial. The three word slogan is a simple one, but evokes urgency to the audience to get outside. Nike used the demand “Get Out Here” without any leeway. This arouses the sense of wanting to get active and buy the new sportswear, Nike’s ultimate purpose of the commercial.
Nike used another rhetorical device in the commercial called repetition. The few words spoken meant more emphasis on the actual plot of the commercial, the athletes shown, and the pure joyous emotions on their faces. During the closeups of the athletes, many of them said “snow day” with a smile. Saying few words kept the commercial short but also made the point the advertisers were trying to convey, being excited for a day off in the snow. The words were not loaded and kept the attention of the audience. Many times, viewers of commercials stop paying attention if someone is just talking to them. Consumers receive hundreds of digital advertisements a day, so advertisers must keep in mind that attention spans are decreasing and somehow keep the attention of the audience. One strategy companies use to promote products is being straightforward with a simplistic approach as a plot and words being spoken (idrproductions).
As stated previously, Nike was able to reach a broader audience due to the fact it is a digital artifact in the sense that it was shared on multiple digital mediums including TV and different social media platforms. Originally, the commercial aired on TV during a football game and uploaded on YouTube. This made it easy for the commercial to be shared to a wider audience. Nike also used the video on the company’s website along with other pictures/media promoting the new product line. The use of variability or being able to exist in multiple platforms (Manovich), showed it could reach a bigger audience and collect even more profit.
In conclusion, Nike successfully influenced the young adult audience by creating the commercial “Snow Day”. The purpose of promoting the new clothing line was presented in a way consumers will remember. Consumers are more likely to buy Nike’s new clothing line because of the way Nike appealed to the audience emotionally by using the theme of a snow day during the commercial. Using well known athletes, an emotion evoking plot, and repetition of words among other rhetorical devices made the product desirable and ultimately achieved a higher profit for Nike.
Works Cited
Dlugen, Andrew. “How to Use the Rule of Three in Your Speeches.” Six Minutes: Speaking and Presentation Skills, Six Minutes, 27 May 2009, sixminutes.dlugan.com/rule-of-three-speeches-public-speaking/.
idrproductions. “How to Hook Consumers’ Attention in the Era of Short Attention Spans.” IDR Productions, IDR Productions, 25 July 2017, www.idrproductions.com/2017/07/03/hook-consumers-attention-era-short-attention-span.
Nike. “”Snow Day” Film Kicks Off Nike’s #GetOutHere Winter Training Campaign.” Nike News, Nike, Inc., 29 Oct. 2015, news.nike.com/news/winter-training.
Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media . MIT Press, 2010.
McCormick, Dr. Karla. “Athletic Endorsements and Their Effect on Consumers’ Attitudes and Consumption.” National Sporting Goods Association, Florida State University, www.nsga.org/globalassets/management-conference-archives/2013/karla-mccormick.pdf.
Moss, Beverly J, and Andrea Lunsford. Everyone’s an Author. 2nd 2017 ed., W.W. Norton & Co, 2017.
Schad September 22, 2016 2016 Regular Season, Joe Schad., Joe. “Miami Dolphins’ Ndamukong Suh: NFL’s third-Most disliked player.” PalmBeachCoast.com, Cox Media Group, 22 Sept. 2016, dailydolphin.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2016/09/22/miami-dolphins-ndamukong-suh-nfls-third-most-disliked-player/.
