The 50 Best Sneaker Ad Campaigns

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1998

This commercial really isn't that great, but the message is. Visually, it isn't impressive at all. It's just Mike walking from the parking garage into the arena. The words and the idea are what's powerful here. Most of you will know exactly what this commercial is about without even having to watch it again. It's that stickiness that lands this one on the chart.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1996

We've seen some campaigns that were produced like a Hollywood blockbuster. Personally, those are some of my least favorite out of everything. What was the one with the soccer players taking on those ferocious mutants? See. I don't even remember. When I make a sneaker decision, it always comes down to how the sneaker looks. That's why I love the simplicity of these ads. There's no clutter at all. It's just the sneakers.

Agency: Vans
Year(s): 1984-1990

We all know Vans as the quintessential California skateboard sneaker, but they've also always been deeply entrenched in BMX culture. If you look through any BMX magazine from the late '70s into the early '90s, you'll notice all the world's top riders were performing in either the Vans Authentic or Era. The brand still has a huge presence in the sport today, and you're looking at the roots of it right here. These Vans print ads appeared in BMX magazines during the sport's heyday in the early 80's.

Agency: Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Year(s): 2006

Dwayne Wade was a champion in Miami before LeBron's douchiness and sense of entitlement wore off on him. I'm not saying D Wade has totally lost my respect, but I can't stand the sight of those two sitting next to each other with matching ascots, non-prescription glasses, and cashmere gentleman's caps. It's my miserable life though, and I shouldn't make this about LeBron. This is the ugliest signature player shoe in decades thanks to Converse, but a very nicely done commercial. The fact that they sold more than 10 pairs is a testament to this ad campaign. I enjoy these commercials that combine current with archival footage.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 2008

Here is another commercial similar to the Air Jordan 9,000 shots we just looked at. In this commercial, we don't even see Michael until the last few seconds. We don't even see a pair of sneakers here. Everything is centered around images of Michael's past along with just his voice speaking and assuring us that there is no such thing as an overnight success. Put in work and stop making excuses.

Agency: Lois/GGK
Year(s): 1989

The whole idea of a sneaker pump was very futuristic in 1989 and seemed to be the next level of incorporating air into your sneaker technology. Before Reebok started taking big shots at Nike, they first had to introduce how their new system worked. These ads were informative and exciting and had everyone asking their Foot Locker clerk for more information about how the sneakers worked.

Agency: Nike/General Mills
Year(s): 1989

In 1989, Nike teamed up with Wheaties and released a set of limited edition posters that came in specially-marked boxes of cereal. The chance to collect all 4 had me on a fiber overload, but I eventually did collect them all. I included them in this list because they are Nike ads. I saw those images on my wall every morning when I woke up and every night before I went to bed. There are some Nike posters that pre-dated these, but this set had me on a mission.

Agency: Vans
Year(s): 1977

These 1977 Vans ads really symbolize the late '70s skate culture that I romanticize about through Dogtown and Hugh Holland photographs. If you also look at any BMX photographs from the same era, these sneakers were ubiquitous in that culture too. In 2008, these images inspired the Classic Kicks sneaker collaborations on the Era and the resurrected Midskool '77 models.

Agency: Chiat Day
Year(s): 1982

The Air Force One is the first basketball sneaker to use Nike Air technology and here are the original ads from 1982. They feature a “look inside the sneaker” and an impressive lineup of NBA All-Stars in Astronaut gear and Uptowns: Moses Malone, Michael Cooper, Jamaal Wilkes, Bobby Jones, Mychael Thompson and Calvin Natt. This campaign was resurrected for the 25th Anniversary of the Air Force One. Nike commemorated the occasion with creating a “New Six”, featuring Tony Parker, Amare Stoudemire, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Rasheed Wallace and Vince Carter.

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Year(s): 1986

Patrick Ewing's first sneaker endorsement was in 1986 with adidas. Ewing joined the brand the same year as Run DMC, and like the group also had a full range of clothing and sneakers that required individual marketing campaigns. Patrick's signature sneaker with adidas was the Metro Attitude in the classic New York Knicks colorway. Ewing stayed laced in the Three Stripes until 1990, when he signed with Next Sports and created his own Ewing brand.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1991

I always loved the Twilight Zone. I used to set up multiple VCRs to record the marathons every New Year's Day before DVR came around. Tommy Davidson is no Rod Serling, but these commercials are still very clever and historically accurate. You can't ignore that Pippen goes back in time (to presumably the '50s), to school a bunch of white nerds who have no game, swagger or style. You have a lot of connotations here about the Nike brand, the game of basketball, and race. I won't go into it all now because this isn't my master's thesis, but this is a great commercial for a classic pair of Air Flights.

Agency: Heater
Year(s): 1997

When this commercial came out inthe late '90s, every kid was in their driveway trying to figure out how to pull it off. It seems easy enough, right? AI explains it to us right here. After a couple weeks, I finally thought I had it down well enough to pull off in a pick-up game. The two times I tried both resulted in someone's teeth smashing into my forehead.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1992

This 1992 Nike commercial feels more like it's from 1988. It has that feel for a couple of reasons. First, we see Nike going back to a John Lennon (Beatles), track to use at the core of its message. In 1988 we were introduced to a “Revolution” which was Nike Air. Here in 1992 the message is about “Instant Karma”, and “We all shine on”. These lyrics mixed with the clips of both amateur and professional athletes training in their revolutionary new Nike Huaraches are things every Nike athlete in the world can relate to. “Who on earth do you think you are? A Superstar? Well right you are!”

Agency: In house
Year(s): 1989

LA Gear must have shelled out a lot of cash for this campaign. This is Michael Jackson's own line of L.A. Gear sneakers in 1989 during the Bad days. The King of Pop had a line ranging from basketball models to studded leather high tops. This campaign shot up several notches on the chart once I discovered the image of this insane kid. L.A. Gear continued their Unstoppable campaign until 1991 with athletes such as Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbaar, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky and Hakeem Olajuwan.

Agency: 72 and sunny
Year(s): 2011

This is an awesome and unexpected ad campaign from agency 72 and Sunny, but it loses some points on originality. It takes balls and a lot of money to pull this off and I give them credit, but it's Kenny Fucking Powers. They didn't create a new character. I know Mars Blackmon existed before his first Air Jordan commercial, but he was already a Nike lover and it was a seamless integration. Lil' Penny and Mr. Robinson were new creations based on alter-egos that revolved around their sneakers. This is just Kenny Powers in your face talking about his cock and fucking shit up. I love it, but it sits at #34

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1995

This 1994 Nike campaign has narrator Steve Martin on a quest to find out if Michael Jordan is faking his retirement. That guy Motorboat Jones did look a lot like Michael Jordan. Who was Johnny Kilroy and how did he score 79 points in only one quarter of play against the Charlotte Hornets? The Popcorn Tape has been studied harder than the Zapruder and we still don't know for sure…

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 2006

This is a collection of a career's worth of Michael Jordan's most famous moments….re-enacted over and over in gyms and playgrounds across the world. Once again Nike taps into the emotional connection between the amateur athlete and their products. I'll let the commercial speak…

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 2006

I think this is part of the Nike Joga Bonita soccer campaign, but I had to single it out on its own after I read this was the first video on YouTube to reach 1,000,000 views. That statistic alone is significant, but what we also see is Nike doing a series of viral campaigns in 2006. Most notably you have Kobe jumping over the Aston Martin and now this commercial here asking yourself if that just really happened. Any video intended to elicit that reaction will surely spread quickly on the internet. This is another great example of Nike and Wieden + Kennedy leading the way in the industry.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 2006

When this commercial first surfaced on the Internet in 2006, it had everybody scratching their heads guessing whether Kobe really just jumped over a speeding Aston Martin. Some introductory physics or a call to Jerry Buss could have answered that question.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1997

This is on some artsy steez but I'm feeling it. Great athletes describe how the game slows down for them when they're in the zone. We get that sense here as Jordan goes to the rim against a slow motion Laker team in a dreamlike setting. Time almost comes to a standstill for all those viewers watching poetry in motion too. As a Knicks fan, I was on the business end of this guy too many times. I remember several of these moments myself. (Later, it was spoofed for a Lil Penny commercial.)

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1998

“The Fun Police” campaign was first launched during the 1998 NBA Finals based on the idea of having an underground group of super-hero style league enforcers who would ensure the fun wouldn't be taken out of the game of basketball by unnecessary rules and regulations. I really love this concept and how it plays out in a series of commercials. There is really some funny stuff in this series of commercials. We have one with Cherokee Parks getting interrogated for his lack of style and enthusiasm, Garnett and Hardaway take over a boring high school game in another spot, and in my favorite one, the Fun Police serve as ushers at a basketball game where they switch all the stuffy business types who are sitting courtside with the young basketball-loving fans in the rafters. This is classic Nike stuff right here — and we need the Fun Police now more than ever.

Agency: 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
Year(s): 1989

This is a little bit of a curveball, but it's all about product placement these days and this movie serves as a two-hour Nike endorsement during the brand's peak. Almost every character in this movie is wearing sneakers and every pair is from Nike. We all remember what sneakers Radio Raheem and Mookie both wore during the duration of this film. Most importantly is the classic Air Jordan IV scene, though. If you're still reading this, you're obviously like me and have an emotional attachment to sneakers. America was introduced to a couple sneakerhead characters before this movie; mainly Mars Blackmon and Dwayne Wayne. Truthfully though, you had to be “in the know”, to realize that Dwayne Wayne was swaggin' all over Hillman with Air Jordan II's to match his official Lawrence Taylor Jersey. When that bike tire crossed Buggin Out's Air Jordan IV's, it was Spike's nod to all of us sneakerheads and the world's introduction to how serious we take this shit.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1996

It's Ken Griffey Junior in another hilarious ad campaign. We have Ken Griffey focusing on our country's real issues like “pepper games' with the help of Steve Forbes, George Clinton and James Carville. What's also interesting about this campaign is that it marks the first time we see two different Nike campaigns crossing over. In one spot, we see Lil' Penny, Big Penny and Nick Anderson watching a “Griffey For President” commercial on television. After The Kid's running mate (The Mariner Moose) is shown on screen, Lil' Penny declares, “Now that moose could be a liability.”

Agency: In-house at Skechers
Year(s): 2008-2010

I know, worst sneakers ever, but hear me out. They are ugly as sin and the ad campaign is based on the premise that you can get in (better) shape just by walking around. You don't think that makes this a pretty smart campaign? This is from Newsweek June 3, 2010: "Skechers featured its Shape-ups line in a Super Bowl commercial in February, further fueling sales of toning shoes. In the first four months of this year, toning footwear sales skyrocketed to $252 million — 75 percent more than the total for all of 2009."

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1998

Everyone was obsessed with the long ball when this ad campaign aired in 1998. The whole country was tuned in to every one of McGwire and Sosa's at-bats down the stretch to see who would be the first to pass 61* and set a new (short lived) single season home run record. This commercial taps into our fascination with this moment in sports history in classic Nike fashion. We begin by seeing Big Mac crush homers to the awe of Heather Locklear and some other hot chick. Tom Glavine and Greg Maddox become visibly frustrated and set out to do something about it. They pick up some Nike cross-trainers and begin training to hit the long ball themselves. Plenty of dick innuendos and classic lines come together when these guys finally start crushing homers themselves, prompting the famous line, “Chicks dig the long ball.” I wonder if chicks also dig the shrunken nuts that come as a side effect of the long ball juice?

Agency: Chiat Day
Year(s): 1992

This goes down in history as the worst flop of any sneaker ad campaign, but so memorable that it has to make the list. The commercials were fine. It was the talent that was the issue. Dan & Dave was Reebok's campaign leading up to the 1992 Olympics. It was introduced during Super Bowl XVII and stated boldly that one of these two decathletes would be crowned World's Greatest Athlete in Barcelona that summer. Only problem is Dan (O'Brien) failed to even qualify for the Olympics, leaving Reebok no choice but to drastically modify their message. Reebok started losing ground to Nike before this campaign, but I believe this debacle signified the end of an era for the brand.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 2006

This whole campaign is put together so well, but I want to focus on the one titled Joy. Where do I start with this one? First, let's just get the archival footage, the moves and the editing out of the way. Awesome. What's great about this one is that it touches a deeper emotional connection we all have to sports. We all grew up playing for the joy that this one depicts. To splice back and forth to see that not much has changed with Ronaldhino's love for the game is refreshing. This dude also doesn't have to say a word and we all get it and can connect. It's beautiful.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1992

Another legendary Charles Barkley campaign from 1992 in which Chuck challenges Godzilla to a game of one-on-one in the streets of Tokyo. This campaign was originally intended only for the Japanese market, but after seeing the finished product, Nike decided to run it here in the U.S too. Charles was a bad dude both on the court and in the world of Nike and we learn here that not even Godzilla can mess with him. Over the years, the legend of these ads has become slightly larger than the sneakers they are advertising (the Nike Ballistic Force, of all things). This campaign was also adapted into a comic book.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1991

Tennis fashion really took off in the mid 1980's, but nobody mixed wigs, acid wash, neon spandex and ill sneakers like Nike and Andre Agassi. Rock n Roll Tennis is how his game is depicted here in these 1991 commercials featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The corresponding print ads touch upon the stuffy all-white tennis of the past and the new breed of player and attitude.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1992-1996

I know a lot of people love Space Jam and this is a memorable partnership, but I don't love it. I'd rather watch Bugs Bunny go against Elmer Fudd than Michael Jordan. Spike and Mike came naturally and those guys grew together. This is just pairing up superstars and cross-promoting. It's like the Miami Heat of ad campaigns.

Agency: Chiat Day
Year(s): 1985

Any ad campaign that is still being used after 26 years has to be good, right? It helps when the sneaker it promotes is still one of Nike's most iconic, but even without the Dunk's renaissance, Be True To Your School would still be ranked high. The ads are cool, but the real campaign was getting these colors worn by the top college basketball programs and players in the country. I always believe that the best advertising is seeing people wearing your product. If those people happen to play for the Top 10 NCAA programs and are on national television every night, even better!

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1989

Force came before Flight here on Earth and at Nike. This was another campaign that was introduced with the Flight range of sneakers in 1989 and was intended to distinguish the differences between the technology in the Flight and Force ranges of sneakers. Flight was for your high-flying slam dunker (or 8th grader like me who thought he was), who wanted the “Lightest Nike Basketball Shoe On Earth”, and Force was made for the more physical player who posted up down low and crashed the boards. The Air Jordans became part of the Flight line those years and the Force series was embodied by “The Round Mound Of Rebound”. Another highlight was the acid-washed warm-ups in the 1990-1991 Force catalogs.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 2001

This Nike Freestyle campaign became an instant classic when it first aired during the 2001 NBA All Star weekend. These commercials feature both professional players and streetball legends coming together in a masterful display of technique and improvisation. The soundtrack and visuals combined really make this the quintessential campaign for this era of Nike Basketball.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1987

This one is arguably a “campaign”, but I will debate that it is the one that introduces the whole Nike Air line of technology in 1987. We see the first Air Max bubble along with spliced in images of Jordan, McEnroe and several weekend warriors going at it in their Nike Air sneakers. The song featured: "Revolution No. 9," the first Beatles recording to be licensed for use in a television commercial. Nike paid $500,000 for the right to use the song for one year. I'm sure this event also had ramifications across the whole advertising and recording industries.

Agency: Arnell Group
Year(s): 2003

This campaign was first introduced during Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003, and is still regarded as one of the most successful ad campaigns in Super Bowl history. These spots feature Lester Speight as main character Terry Tate. Terry is the “Office Linebacker,” hired by fictitious Fletcher & Sons to regulate and “give out the pain” to anyone not in accordance with office policy. Reebok produced a total of nine episodes which aired from 2003-2005.

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Year(s): 1986

The adidas Superstar was always part of Run DMC's uniform, but their partnership with adidas is an interesting story. It starts in Hollis, Queens during the early '80s. Run DMC hit the scene with a new style and look which is anchored by the Adidas Superstar sneaker. A lot of hip hop performers of the time were getting into costume to perform, but these guys were appearing at shows and on television in the same outfits they were wearing in the streets. What were they wearing in the streets of Hollis at the time? Shell toes with no shoe strings in 'em. So these guys start to blow up and tour the world and notice that everywhere they go, every kid is wearing adidas. Russell Simmons (being the genius that he is), tells the group that they need to record a track about “Me and my adidas standing on two-fifth”. They record the track and it appears on the 1986 "Raising Hell" album along with the chartbuster collaboration "Walk This Way." Next thing that happens is Run DMC records a homemade video of them reciting the "My adidas" lyrics while showing off their sneakers and telling the brand that they want a $1 million contract.

In 1986, Adidas brand executives awarded Run DMC that $1 million deal after they were invited to a concert at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. The band performed "My adidas" while 20,000 raging fans all held their sneakers in their air and rhymed along with them. This event marked the first endorsement deal between a sneaker company and non-athletic performer, and solidified the eternal bond between hip-hop and athletic footwear.

Agency: Chiat Day
Year(s): 1985

The NBA banned the original black and red Air Jordan from being worn in the league only three games into the 1985 season, because it didn't conform with the League's uniform policy. In the famous David Letterman Show interview, when Jordan was asked why the sneaker was banned, he replied, “There isn't any white in it.” "Well, neither does the NBA," Letterman quipped. Jordan continued to wear the black and red Air Jordan 1 during the season and was fined $5,000 per game for it by the NBA. Nike agreed to pick up the tab while the controversy continued to generate priceless amounts of publicity for the struggling brand. Nike eventually created another version of the sneaker that adhered to league policy. Michael dropped 63 on the Celtics in the '86 playoffs (who had a lot of white in it), while wearing these sneakers and the legend of Air Jordan was solidified.

Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Year(s): 1993

"A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" —Charles Barkley You can always depend on Sir Charles to give it to you straight. In 1993, this Nike campaign sparked nationwide debate over its message. Barkley argued that the media holds athletes to a higher moral standard and looks to them to act as role models. This campaign is blunt and to the point. Charles gets paid to play basketball. The responsibility of raising our kids falls on the parents and teachers in the communities.