Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Nike - "sport is never done". But does it speak Arabic?

Nike has got a new film out (here)

One for the region, yet one not from the region.

Let me explain, yes the film was shot in the Arab region, yes it supposedly talks on behalf of the region's kids to the parents in question, and yes it dispels the idea that sports are a waste of time. But for the life of me as a copywriter I am ready to bet that the ad was written in a different language then transcribed to Arabic. Whomever wrote it is not an Arab native.

All the expressions used have a whiff of foreignness to them. "Head in the cloud" "if my friends jump, I jump" "hanging with the wrong crowd" etc... This is not how Arab parents speak to their sons or daughters. Compare this to the brilliant "what will they say about you?" which seems much more to be talking "Arabic", the way it is talked (or thought of) regionally.

Do note, in a region where obesity levels are obscene, where the ability to move is incredibly restricted due to weather, soaring temperatures and yes, social norms, "sport is never done" is a good message to spread. So for this alone, extra marks for Nike.