Nike pays homage to its storied past while expressing excitement for the future in celebration of the their 50th anniversary. Howard Drossin created original music for Nike 50th Brand Celebration.
In the short film, directed by Spike Lee, titled Seen It All, Spike reprises his role as the motor-mouthed Mars Blackmon, who appeared in Lee’s first major film She’s Gotta Have It and returned for a series of Nike Spots with Michael Jordan in the late 80’s / early 90’s (It’s gotta be the shoes!). Seen It All sees the return of Mars after 30 years; He’s still wearing his signature cycling hat, gold chain, and large frames, all while running his mouth. What’s different is that this time around, we’re introduced to a new character.
In this iteration, Zimmie, played by Indigo Hubbard-Salk, sits across from Blackmon as they play chess in the park. The young woman doesn’t just let Mars do all the talking, or feed him one-word answers like Jordan did in the early 90’s. Instead, she fires back, matching Mars’s energy. She’s a Mars Blackmon for a new generation, just as this ad is for a new generation – and the two being in conjunction with one another is no accident. Lee’s return to the spot as a director and an actor is a savvy one for both himself and Nike, in that he takes the opportunity to capitalize on the longevity of his character, while building in accessibility and relevance for a new generation. To read more, view the entire article on Brand Story Telling.