Narrative is a hugely important element in advertising and marketing.

Narrative is a hugely important element in advertising and marketing.

Nike has received critical acclaim for its February 2018 advert ‘Nothing beats a Londoner’. Embed the advert in your blog and answer the following questions: 
 

1) How does the advert use narrative? Apply at least three narrative theories to the text, making specific reference to specific shots or key scenes in the advert.

- The advertisement includes Todorov's theory of equilibrium.

2) Read this BBC feature on some of the people in the advert. How does the advert use celebrities and less well-known people to create stories in the advert?

'The cameos come thick and fast'. Features athletes competing over who has the biggest struggle training for their sport in the capital; raising awareness of real life issues in such a well-known city. 

3) Read this AdWeek feature and interview on the Nike London advert. How did the advert use technical codes (camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing etc.) to help create narratives that could connect with the audience?

The setting, costume and props used in the ad made it more relatable for the target audience they were aiming as the actors were either casual people just like them or famous people who they follow and would potential take inspiration from.

4) What representation of London does the advert offer?

The advert represents London as a very diverse place with a lot of 'hood culture'. London is typically represented as a high class, posh area as it is the main city of England however this Nike ad shows the reality and also gets a message through to audience that they are being accepting of normal, middle class people and it also connotes who their target audience are.

5) Why might this advert appeal to an audience?
Because they have used a mixture of famous and casual actors. Not went out of their way to make London look like something that is not; showed the reality. Made it clear who their target audiences are by solely making the advert using people they follow and also people that the target audience would be able to relate to. 

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