Financial solutions provider GE and Nike are two international brands successfully tapping into the sporting spirit sweeping the globe.
The recent campaigns from the respective brands steer clear of the sappy strategy employed in some Olympic ads, opting to parade strength and the human spirit instead.
GE's American brand push features three new spots with the most notable, 'Measure', reminding us that despite a wealth of medical knowledge, the ability of the human body never ceases to suprise and amaze. The fast-paced spot shows althletes training and competing, paired with x-ray style shots of their bodies. It aims to promote GE's advanced imaging technology and was created by BBDO New York.
The broader campaign continues the brand's 'GE Works' platform introduced earlier this year, with the two other documentary-style ads promoting the technology's use in hospitals.
Nike's new 'Find Your Greatness' London-themed campaign also champions the endurance of the human body, but with a focus on the 'everyday athlete' .The commercial tells stories of multiple 'athletes' from around the world, voiced by a defiant narrator who concludes that "Greatness is wherever someone is trying to find it".
"Somehow, we've come to believe that greatness is reserved for the chosen few, for the superstars. The truth is, greatness is for all of us", says the spot.
The campaign's 'London' theme is interspersed throughout the ad, and despite being shot internationally, shows each athlete training in a gym or town with 'London' in the title. Little London in Jamaica and London in Ohio are two towns featured in the spot.
Widen + Kennedy Portland are the agency behind the commercial, which aired in 25 countries just hours before the start of the opening ceremony. It had been uploaded to Nike's YouTube channel one day prior. The campaign also features a Twitter element with the hashtag #FindYourGreatness.
What do you think of the campaigns? Which one do you prefer?
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