The last time Nike showed an ad during the Super Bowl was in 1998, featuring all-male athletes. It wouldn’t be until 27 years later — in 2025 — that Nike would invest in a Super Bowl ad again, this time featuring all-female athletes.
Although Nike still ranks as the number one sportswear company in the U.S., the company has experienced declines in sales, making it vulnerable to getting its spot snatched by other up-and-coming brands that seem to resonate more with today’s customers.
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In the last few years, Nike has heavily invested in paid media and performance marketing, spending thousands of dollars on persuasive ads with the goal of increasing sales. However, this marketing strategy has not worked yet, as sales continue to decline.
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According to Nike’s latest reported earnings, total revenues declined by 8% compared to the year prior, with North American sales down 10%.
Nike has experienced sales declines in recent years.
Nike shifts its marketing strategy after continuous sales declines
In an earnings call in December, Nike (NKE) said it would be more intentional in its marketing spending by shifting its strategy to brand marketing and product innovation. It wants to create an impact within the brand that customers connect to emotionally through its products and its impactful athletes.
“We are increasing brand marketing activity to support key product launches and upcoming sports moments. Investment in sports marketing is also increasing with our recent long-term partnership extensions,” said Nike CFO Matthew Friend.
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Companies pay around $8 million to have a 30-second commercial played during Super Bowl LIX’s ad breaks, not including the production costs and the athlete’s or actor’s appearance pay.
Although Nike athlete contracts already include a financial agreement in which its signed athletes are rewarded with an annual salary to wear and promote Nike products in exchange for their public image, partaking in a commercial would increase their salaries more than the salaries of the rest of the athletes who weren’t given this opportunity.
Nike Super Bowl LIX commercial portrays an inspirational message of women’s empowerment
As Nike previously stated, the company wants to refocus its marketing by featuring athletes who are relevant to sports and culture. Given the recent rise in popularity of women’s sports, the company chose to highlight some of the top female athletes for its most important and costly commercial of the year.
Nike’s “So Win” Super Bowl LIX commercial featured the WNBA players Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionesco, and A’ja Wilson, college basketball player JuJu Watkins, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, professional tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, Olympic track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson, soccer player Alexia Putellas, and USWNT player Sophia Smith Wilson.
The commercial aimed to convey an emotional message about female empowerment by playing Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” in the background and using rapper Doechii’s voice to read quotes that women are often told by society that make them feel like they aren’t good enough.
The commercial ends with the quote, “Whatever you do, you can’t win. So Win.” This is a complete turnaround from Nike’s iconic “Just Do It” slogan, which is used in every ad.
This unexpected switch-up may be Nike’s way of reflecting its efforts to return to profitable numbers and reclaim its throne as one of the top sportswear brands in the world.
Social media reacts to Nike’s Super Bowl LIX commercial
Nike’s Super Bowl LIX commercial aired on Feb. 9, and people were quick to post their reactions on social media only seconds after its release. However, the public’s reception of the ad wasn’t as positive as Nike expected.
Some netizens seemed to enjoy the commercial, with one commenting on X, “The only good commercial I’ve seen tonight,” and another commenting, “Hands down my favorite commercial.”
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However, other users were not as fond of the commercial and bombarded Nike’s post on X with their opinions.
One X user expressed their disappointment with the brand by commenting, “Literally no one says this to women. What they do say is ‘you can’t have your own spaces, teams, locker rooms if a man wants to be there.’ Super disappointed Nike. Pick a side.”
Another user on X commented, “Hypocrites. You never defended women against men who invaded their sports.”
And a user on X simply commented, “Worst commercial ever.”
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