ASA clears Nike Ads

Nike is back in the running after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decided not to uphold complaints that its posters were “crude and offensive”.

The poster stated: “May is keen but crap. May says Race that milk float. Race that pram. Race that pensioner. May hates hills. Loves benches. May gets stitches. Gets Shin splints. Gets back into bed. May runs in the dark. Dribbles snot. Steps in dog poo. May says stay on your marks. Get set stop. May says its too cold. Too hot. Too dark. Too.. Wednesday. May says run tomorrow beat May.”

Complainants objected that a poster, which appeared in a London tube carriage advertising a 10km run, was crude, offensive and unsuitable because it would be seen by children.

In response to the complaints Nike explained that the purpose of the ad was to persuade ordinary Londoners to get fit and healthy for the summer by running the 10km run. They said that their biggest hurdle was overcoming people’s apathy and they believed that this could be done with a “confrontational and motivating campaign”.

The advertiser said that the voice in the ad was: “That of a motivator who encouraged the participant to train when their mind was giving them excuses not to do so.” They added: “It was important for the voice in the ad to speak the language that the competitor would use in every day speech.” The advertiser continued to defend the poster by asserting that over 10,000 people had applied to enter the run within three days of the ad appearing, this they argued: “Showed that people had not been offended by the ad.”

The ASA noted that the media carrier had seen the poster before its release and did not object and concluded that the poster was not likely to cause serious or widespread offence.

ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk

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