Gay Commercial: Nike
Jun. 12th, 2009 09:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reviews_and_ramblingsI like this commercial... it's not "gay", it's about living being HIV+, with courage. There is no hint in the ad to Ric Munoz's sexuality, and it's not necessary, it's not his sexuality that makes him a special man.
Richly shot, this commercial follows real-life, openly gay athlete Ric Muñoz of Los Angeles as he runs through a park. Text tells us "80 miles every week. 10 marathons every year. HIV positive." It ends with the familiar "Just do it" tagline and the well-known swoosh logo.
The advertisement was the first commercial by a marketer to actually use HIV/AIDS as a theme. Nike could have easily been criticized for insensitively using the disease to sell sneakers. Instead, it was widely acclaimed.
Ric Munoz left a comment in the Commercial Closet Association website: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for including the HIV Runner ad in your fine gallery of ads--it's always nice to be remembered.
I am indeed, still running. That's always the first question I get when someone hasn't seen me in a while, "Still running?" At the time the HIV Runner ad appeared in Feb. '95, I had run just over 70 marathons. That total has now grown to 131, the most recent of which was April's Boston Marathon (a race I've completed for 11 consecutive years). I've also graduated to the longer distances, i.e., distances longer than the marathon's standard distance of 26.2 miles. I've managed just six of those, the distances thus far being 50 miles (three times), 56 miles (twice) and my longest race to-date, 62 miles, that came in the fall of 99.
Of all the ads they've produced, it's been very clear to me over the years that the HIV Runner ad is one Nike is especially proud of. The ad went out of circulation a few months after its intial airing and went on to be aired in Great Britain and Japan after the U.S. run ended."
Commercial Closet Association
Company: Nike
Brand: Nike
Ad Title: HIV Runner - Ric Muñoz
Business Category: Sneakers/Shoes
Media Outlets: Television
Country: United States
Region: North America
Agency: Wieden & Kennedy
Year: 1995
Target: Mainstream
Richly shot, this commercial follows real-life, openly gay athlete Ric Muñoz of Los Angeles as he runs through a park. Text tells us "80 miles every week. 10 marathons every year. HIV positive." It ends with the familiar "Just do it" tagline and the well-known swoosh logo.
The advertisement was the first commercial by a marketer to actually use HIV/AIDS as a theme. Nike could have easily been criticized for insensitively using the disease to sell sneakers. Instead, it was widely acclaimed.
Ric Munoz left a comment in the Commercial Closet Association website: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for including the HIV Runner ad in your fine gallery of ads--it's always nice to be remembered.
I am indeed, still running. That's always the first question I get when someone hasn't seen me in a while, "Still running?" At the time the HIV Runner ad appeared in Feb. '95, I had run just over 70 marathons. That total has now grown to 131, the most recent of which was April's Boston Marathon (a race I've completed for 11 consecutive years). I've also graduated to the longer distances, i.e., distances longer than the marathon's standard distance of 26.2 miles. I've managed just six of those, the distances thus far being 50 miles (three times), 56 miles (twice) and my longest race to-date, 62 miles, that came in the fall of 99.
Of all the ads they've produced, it's been very clear to me over the years that the HIV Runner ad is one Nike is especially proud of. The ad went out of circulation a few months after its intial airing and went on to be aired in Great Britain and Japan after the U.S. run ended."
Commercial Closet Association
Company: Nike
Brand: Nike
Ad Title: HIV Runner - Ric Muñoz
Business Category: Sneakers/Shoes
Media Outlets: Television
Country: United States
Region: North America
Agency: Wieden & Kennedy
Year: 1995
Target: Mainstream
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Date: 2009-06-12 11:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-12 11:53 am (UTC)