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The Greatest Ad I've Ever Seen

Nike's epic, witty, wonderful new World Cup ad.

By |Updated Monday, June 7, 2010, at 7:22 AM

(Continued from Page 1)

According to Nike, the ad has notched 12 million YouTube views so far and another 17 million views on other Web platforms. It has aired in its entirety on TVs in more than 30 countries, and has appeared at least a couple of times on ESPN here in the States. The multiple story lines will allow for a jumble of re-edited 60-, 30-, and 15-second versions, which will pop up throughout World Cup broadcasts.

Perhaps longer ads have been made. Perhaps more expensive ads have been made. But when this spot first showed up on my TV, as I was watching SportsCenter late one night, I thought to myself that I couldn't remember having ever derived more exhilarating joy from a TV commercial.

Grade: A+. I even love the soundtrack, a remix of a yodel-infused instrumental rock tune called "Hocus Pocus," by Dutch band Focus (check out this jawdropping live performance from 1973). It's unfortunate that a couple of the featured players may not actually appear in the World Cup--Drogba was recently injured and his participation is still in doubt, while Ronaldinho got cut from the Brazilian team—but these are the vagaries of big-time soccer. It's also unfortunate (for fans of great ads) that Nike didn't air this spot during February's Super Bowl, which lacked in the epic advertising grandeur we crave from the NFL's big game. Maybe it was too soon to begin ramping up the World Cup hype. Maybe it was too costly to buy three minutes of Super Bowl airtime. Or maybe Nike worried that America couldn't endure the shame of watching futbol out-glam football.

Ad Report Card readers: The time is approaching once again for "Ads We Hate"—our occasional roundup of the worst commercials on TV. Send your suggestions to adreportcard@gmail.com for possible inclusion in the column.

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Correction, June 7, 2010: This piece originally misspelled the last name of Alejandro González Iñárritu as Iñáritu. ( Return to the corrected sentence.)

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Seth Stevenson is a frequent contributor to Slate. He is the author of Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World.