Abstract
The purpose of my project was to analyze Nike’s commercial, “Equality” (2017), and focus on different aspects of the commercial that help promote equality despite their controversial past. To fulfill this task, I decided to implore the use of visual rhetoric to examine different elements of the commercial produced by Nike and Wieden+Kennedy. I specifically look at visual elements such as how much total screen-time each athlete receives, the role of the athlete within the commercial, and how Nike orchestrates their delivery of the message regarding equality. Additionally, this analysis looks to understand how groups such as Black Lives Matter or the LGBTQ+ community are depicted through this advertisement. The results of this study establish how Nike perceives both Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ+ community within their commercial and highlights areas in where Nike failed to promote equality within their own commercial.
Advisor
Smith, Joshua
Department
Communication Studies
Recommended Citation
Nowatzke, Zak, "Nike's “Equality”: How the Spread of Equality is Halted by the Delivery of Nike's Message and Their Past Controversies" (2023). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 10503.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/10503
Disciplines
Broadcast and Video Studies | Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication
Keywords
equality, Nike, visual rhetoric, representation, commercial
Publication Date
2023
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2023 Zak Nowatzke