A Nike ad featuring an overweight 12-year-old jogging is the second best commercial of the year, the industry publication AdWeek says.
The ad was launched during the Olympics as part of Nike's Find Your Greatness campaign, which Nike hoped would divert attention from the marketing of rival Adidas, an Olympic sponsor, during the Games. It consists of a long shot of 12-year-old Nathan Sorrell slowly shuffling his way toward the camera while a British-accented narrator talks about greatness being something all people, not just elite athletes, are capable of.
Sorrell became an online hero of sorts as the ad grew in popularity. At 5-3 and 200 pounds, the Ohio resident was an unlikely star for a Nike ad. His non-elite credentials increased when he told his local newspaper that he vomited in a ditch while the commercial was filmed.
As of this writing, the Nike-hosted version of the ad on YouTube has more than 1.4 million views. Watch it here.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Running Is My Therapy, Advanced Marathoning, and Meb for Mortals. Scott has also written about running for Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
