Satrajit Sen
Digital

Viral Now: Pushing the limits

Nike recently marked 25 years of the 'Just Do It' campaign with an ad that challenges the public to take on its star endorsers.

Have you ever dreamt of winning a set in a game of tennis against Serena Williams? If not, Nike has an apt campaign that urges you to push your limits and do the impossible.

Viral Now: Pushing the limits
The sports brand recently marked 25 years of the 'Just Do It' campaign with an ad that challenges the public to take on its star endorsers. For the record, the 'Just Do It' line was first concocted for Nike in 1988, by advertising legend Dan Wieden (of Wieden + Kennedy). In its new ad, Nike has called in sporting legends LeBron James (NBA's most valuable player); world No. 1 tennis player Serena Williams; footballer Gerard Pique, who represents FC Barcelona and Spain, and boxing sensation Andre Ward.

Surfaced on August 21, the ad has become a viral hit online, with more than 1.3 million YouTube video views in just 24 hours of being uploaded. The ad now counts a total of 5,030,883 views.

The film also has The Hangover's Bradley Cooper narrating the sequence, along with a guest appearance by actor Chris Pine, recently seen in the latest Star Trek film.

The new film hopes to inspire viewers to push their physical limits - by challenging the sporting world's greatest athletes. The film opens with Bradley Cooper saying: 'If you can run a mile, run a race, run a marathon, outrun a movie star...' followed by snapshots of regular people challenging the acclaimed athletes in sporting feats.

The film also challenges the audience to virtually compete against the athletes featured using Nike+ FuelBand, an activity tracker that is worn on the wrist to track daily activity and calories burned.

Using their Nike+ Running app, which maps users' runs, distance and calories burned, and FuelBand, budding athletes can judge how they fare against the famous athletes in the film, as well as their friends and other ordinary participants.

(Viral Now is a section about videos that are catching people's fancy on social media)

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com