Hasta La Motion!

Nike has launched “Nike Unlimited You”, a commercial in which famous and unknown athletes push the limits of possibility. Nike Unlimited You follows on from the earlier “Unlimited Future” commercial in which American actor Bobby Cannavale addresses a nursery full of babies. In this new ad, launched during coverage of the opening of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac predicts a bright future for budding athletes as they struggle to play golf, tennis and basketball. He meets his climax with the statement, “When everyone pushes their limit they reach their maximum potential and live happily ever after!” However the stars of the commercial are not ready to finish. Skateboarder Nyjah Huston takes on unlimited fun. Serena Williams practices her tennis strokes against the bat swings of Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton for unlimited power. Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon make a bid for unlimited airtime with a crash test basket. Tim, an up-and-coming young athlete, sets out to win at every sport he plays, helped along the way with Kevin Durant.. The Nike tag line “Just Do It” is smashed and redefined.

Nike’s Unlimited Thinking

“By definition, “unlimited” means: being or seeming to be without limits. Its synonyms include: boundless, indefinite, unfathomable, infinite… At Nike “unlimited” also means endless possibility, when it comes to its athletes and when it comes to its designs. In turn, each pushes the other past perceived boundaries towards a sub-two-hour marathon or a first marathon, a world record or a personal best. Unlimited means never defining oneself by what came before. It means defying expectations, even one’s own. Unlimited declares that there is no “happily ever after” and there’s no “too far.” There’s only “What’s next?””

“The end is really just the beginning for someone who’s looking to go beyond their limits, and that’s what that shattering logo represents,” said Nike Global Corporate Communications Director Brian Strong. “Unlimited You’ celebrates athletes that break through their perceived limitations and then run past them as if they were never there. The film reflects the full campaign, which is about pushing our potential further than we expected by embracing an unlimited mindset.”

“The spot is about athletes pushing their limits more than they thought they could, and then doing more and more and more,” added Wieden & Kennedy Copywriter Edward Harrison. “It made sense to us that as the athletes did more and more, that things would get crazier and more frantic to match.”

The Nike Unlimited campaign also includes a series of ongoing short films highlighting both everyday and professional athletes who push their limits, as well as profiles on how its premier athletes use the brand’s latest innovations.

Nike is applying the “Unlimited” idea not just to its marketing, but to product as well and has introduced the “Unlimited Colorway” inspired by the ideas of bodies in motion, this summer’s coming competitions and the vibrant flora and fauna of tropical rainforests.

Nike Unlimited You Credits

The Nike Unlimited You campaign was developed at Wieden + Kennedy Portland by global creative directors Alberto Ponte and Ryan O’Rourke, interactive director Dan Viens, copywriter Edward Harrison, art director Susan Land, global executive producer Matt Hunnicutt, senior agency producer Ross Plummer, agency post producer Shelley Eisner, agency production assistant Emily Knight, digital producer Keith Rice, art production team Amy Berriochoa, Krystel Mortimore and Jennifer Spillers, project manager Christina Kim, studio designers Alicia Kuna and Edgar Morales, retoucher Frazer Goodbody, motion producers/designers Tori Herbst and Carlos Enciso, strategic planners Andy Lindblade, Nathan Goldberg, Brandon Thornton, Reid Schilperoort, media planning team Danny Sheniak, John Furnari, Brian Goldstein and Jocelyn Reist, account team Chris Willingham, Alyssa Ramsey, Corey Woodson, Anna Botev and Carly Williamson, working with Nike marketing team Ean Lensch, YinMei San and Amber Ruston.

Filming for Nike Unlimited You was shot by directors Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) via Prettybird with executive producers Ali Brown and Suzanne Hargrove, line producer Jonathan Wang, director of photography Larkin Seiple, production designer Mark Snelgrove.

Editor was Angus Wall at Rock Paper Scissors with assistant editor Lauren Delarra, post producer Chris Noviello, executive post producer Helena Lee.

Visual effects and colour were produced at The Mill by creative director John Leonti, 2D lead artist James Allen, 2D artists Brad Scott, Alex Candlish, Daniel Thuresson, Rob Winfield, Peter Sidoriak, Joe Zaki, Tommy Smith, Glyn Tebbutt, Greg VanZyl, Tim Bird, Jake Albers, Sam Evenson, Don Kim, Adam Lambert, Tim Robbins, 3D lead artist Chris Bayou, 3D artists Charles Stornolio, Matt Longwell, Dan Warom, Charleen Lin, Zine Liu, Michael Lori, Jenna Kind, Monique Espinoza, Mike DiNocco, matte painting team Andy Wheater and Jie Zhou, art support team Dylan Streiff and Gary Marschka, senior VFX Producer Will Lemmon, VFX producer Anastasia von Rohl, VFX supervisor John Shirley, colorist Gregory Reese and executive color producer Thatcher Peterson.

Sound and music were mixed at Lime Studios by mixers Rohan Young and Jeff Malen, audio assistants Ben Tomastik and Lisa Mermelstein, executive producer Susie Boyajan.

Music, “Never Die”, is by FNDTY.