Narrative In Advertising: Blog Tasks :)

Nike has received critical acclaim for its February 2018 advert ‘Nothing beats a Londoner'

1) How does the advert use narrative? Apply at least three narrative theories to the text, making specific reference to specific shots or key scenes in the advert.

We can see that Barthes' enigma codes have been used in this advert as the first person who talks about their struggles leads us to wonder what the next person will say. We can also see elements of Todorov's theory of equilibrium where we can see equilibrium when a man walks into the corner shop on the phone and the disequilibrium is when the phone call is disrupted and causes the boy to be interrupted. We can see the new equilibrium where the guy from the beginning is on a bike as he had previously mentioned on his phone call. Subtle elements of Propp's character theory can be applied to the advert as we can see that each character can be seen as a hero of their own lives whilst they overcome their own hardships in their own individual lives 

2) Read this BBC feature on some of the people in the advert. How does the advert use celebrities and less well-known people to create stories in the advert?

  In order to portray Nike as a trustworthy and dependable brand, they used celebrities in the advert such as Giggs, Skepta, Harry Kane, Mo Farah, and Dina Asher-Smith. The use of successful athletes in the advert almost gives the suggestion that wearing the Nike shoes will allow the audience to be that successful too. The lesser-known people in the advert provide a sense of personal identity (Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications) such as the teenage YouTuber Darnz who vlogs himself playing videogames like FIFA which many young people may identify with

3) Read this AdWeek feature and interview on the Nike London advert. [Note: this may now be behind a paywall - you can find the text from the article here]. How did the advert use technical codes (camerawork, mise-en-scene, sound, editing etc.) to help create narratives that could connect with the audience?

With regards to the camerawork, the camera is constantly moving in order to reflect the chaotic nature of their lives as well as life in London in general. We can also see the chaotic editing that mirrors how everyone has something different going on in their lives- this paired with the constant movement of the camera truly captures the essence of what it feels like to live in London. Parallel sound has been used throughout this advert and perhaps this adds a fast pace to the advert which resembles the fast pace of life in London- especially for the people in this advert who have to overcome all of these daily challenges. Another aspect worth mentioning is the costume because everyone in the advert is wearing clothing appropriate to what they spend every day doing and this helps get the message across to the audience of what each person does 

4) What representation of London does the advert offer?

The advert offers a diverse representation of London as different areas are shown that may have their own individual stereotypes but as well as that, a diverse range of ethnic groups are presented in order to reflect the true diversity of London. Despite this diverse representation, it could be said that the advert mainly focuses on the working-class without much regard to other social classes 

5) Why might this advert appeal to an audience?

Using Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory, it may be said that this advert appeals to a certain audience due to personal identity- this is because many different types of people are represented in this advert so if somebody identifies with one of the types of people shown, they are more likely to enjoy this advert. Still referring to the Uses and Gratifications theory, this advert may appeal to an audience due to the entertaining nature of it- if an audience is entertained by this advert, they are more likely to share it and increase the publicity that the advert gets. However, it could also be said that this advert could appeal to an audience because of star power- the use of celebrities in this advert encourages fans of the celebrity to watch the advert and allow them to enjoy it more