Nike Airs Spot Featuring Chris Mosier, First U.S. Olympic Transgender Athlete
Triathlete Chris Mosier, the first transgender athlete to make a U.S. national team, "is the star of Nike's latest 30-second spot," according to Kristina Monllos of ADWEEK. The ad, via Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, is part of Nike's "Unlimited" series. It "breaks the fourth wall and features a conversation between the narrator and Mosier that directly addresses the fact that Mosier is trans, showcases Mosier in all of his triathlon events." It "premiered during NBC's primetime coverage" of the Rio Games last night (ADWEEK.com, 8/8).
SHE'S GOT A WAY: The AP's Julie Bykowicz reports Hillary Clinton is airing $13.6M "in campaign commercials during the Summer Games," while Donald Trump "has yet to air his first paid TV ad of the general election campaign." It is a "striking change from four years ago, when then-cash-strapped Mitt Romney and his allies scrounged up" the estimated $18M needed to "match what President Barack Obama was spending to advertise during the three weeks of the London Games." Clinton's advertising is "omnipresent" during NBC's commercial breaks, appearing "alongside those of corporate behemoths such as McDonald's and Chevrolet" (AP, 8/9).
MIND PLAYING TRICKS ON ME: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Cassandra Jaramillo notes viewers during NBC's broadcast of the Opening Ceremony on Friday "took to social media to voice their anti-advertising sentiments as many felt the broadcast was inundated with more ads than Olympians." However, ad tracker Kantar Media showed the Opening Ceremony at the '12 London Games "had 72 advertisements -- including paid ads and NBC promotions -- within the 4 1/2 hours of television coverage." This year’s Opening Ceremony "had 19% less ad time during the initial 4 ½ hours of coverage." An NBC Sports spokesperson said that the company "inserted more commercials in the beginning of the show to get more time later in the broadcast to showcase athletes from participating countries" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/9).
