Nike ran its first Super Bowl ad in 27 years last week. The ad, called “You can’t win. So win,” made no sense. It was an expensive gambit that leaned into woke capitalism and fake feminism and failed to root itself in any relevant consumer or cultural insight.
Nike didn’t get the memo that woke is gasping for its last breath. Whining about unfairness and those mean men out there, no matter how much the ad makes an attempt at girl power badassery — black and white imagery revels in the athleticism of these athletes’ bodies — is done. We’re not buying it, Nike, no matter how pretty your ad looks.
Here’s what the brand meant by the ad (I think): Women are told they can’t win, they can’t fill stadiums, they can’t be emotional, they can’t take credit. So, girl, get out there and fight the man who wants to keep you down!
But the whole ad was…
