Pretty

Pretty, also known as I Feel Pretty, was a 60-second television advertisement created in 2006 for Nike Women, Nike, Inc.'s sportswear business. The campaign was developed by Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, Oregon, Nike's long-standing advertising partner, and directed by Czech filmmaker Ivan Zachariáš. It introduced Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova as a spokesperson in a Nike advertising production and was released shortly before the 2006 U.S. Open, a tournament Sharapova subsequently won. The commercial presents a stylized day in Sharapova's life. She prepares at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, leaves in a limousine, and travels toward Arthur Ashe Stadium while being followed by paparazzi. People encountered during the journey begin singing lines from “I Feel Pretty,” the song performed by the character Maria in the second act of the stage musical West Side Story. The musical motif continues inside the stadium, where players, journalists, camera operators, ball persons, announcers, the umpire, and the crowd join in the chorus. Sharapova ends the spectacle with a forceful return ace, silencing the participants before the Nike Swoosh and “Just Do It” appear on screen. The advertisement formed part of Nike's longer effort to strengthen its relationship with female consumers. Earlier Nike campaigns had often concentrated on male audiences, while some 1980s efforts directed at women had been criticized as ineffective or patronizing. Nike's more successful 1990s work, including If You Let Me Play, helped establish a stronger foundation for women's sports marketing. The return of the Nike account to Wieden+Kennedy in 1999 also restored a prominent role for celebrity athletes. Pretty continued that direction but used a distinctive theatrical structure, combining celebrity, humor, music, fashion, and competitive athleticism. Production began in early 2006 and took place on location. Performers recorded their singing live using miniature microphones concealed in their costumes. The stadium sequence used approximately 100 physical extras, while The Mill expanded the apparent audience to roughly 26,000 people through visual-effects work. The production also included appearances by John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, and Mary Joe Fernandez. The Mill used Massive and Flame software for crowd generation, compositing, reflections, cleanup, and other effects. Pretty premiered on United States television on August 20, 2006, during a commercial break in Fox's Teen Choice Awards broadcast. It continued to appear intermittently through the rest of 2006 and the first quarter of 2007, and was later adapted for cinema and print exposure. Critics and audiences responded positively, particularly to its portrayal of a female athlete as confident, powerful, and self-directed. The advertisement won two Cannes Gold Lions, in Film and Best Use of Music, and also received recognition from the British Television Advertising Awards and the Clio Awards. Its success helped establish Sharapova as a recurring Nike celebrity representative; she later appeared in the 2008 Wieden+Kennedy web campaign Be Your Own Fan, part of Here I Am. As a campaign-specific advertising work rather than an ongoing consumer product line, Pretty is no longer an active standalone brand.

Pretty was produced during Nike's broader effort to build a more effective and distinctive presence in women's sportswear. Wieden+Kennedy had worked with Nike since 1982, apart from a short interruption in the mid-1980s, but much of Nike's early advertising concentrated on male consumers. Women's sportswear was an important opportunity for competitors such as Reebok and LA Gear. Some Nike efforts aimed at women in the 1980s used provocative or critical messaging and did not perform as hoped. During the 1990s, Nike developed more resonant approaches, including If You Let Me Play, while experimenting with different agencies and creative strategies. In 1997, Nike temporarily moved the female-oriented portion of its marketing budget from Wieden+Kennedy to Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. That agency helped reposition the women's business away from a narrow dependence on celebrity athletes and toward stories featuring ordinary women. After Nike consolidated its advertising account with Wieden+Kennedy in 1999, celebrity endorsements again became central to selected campaigns. Athletes such as Suzy Favor-Hamilton appeared in Nike work, creating a context for the later use of Maria Sharapova. Sharapova had been a professional tennis player since 2001 and had rapidly developed an international profile. She reached the junior Australian Open final at age 14, won the women's Wimbledon Championships in 2004, and reached the number-one ranking in 2005. Nike developed Pretty around her public image in the run-up to the 2006 U.S. Open. The production began in early 2006 under director Ivan Zachariáš, whose previous advertising work included campaigns for Land Rover and Stella Artois. The commercial was filmed on location, with live vocal performances recorded through concealed miniature microphones. Sharapova appeared in the Nike performance tennis dress that she would wear at the U.S. Open. The central stadium sequence required a combination of practical filming and digital construction. Only about 100 extras were used during the shoot, alongside tennis figures John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, and Mary Joe Fernandez. The Mill created the impression of a much larger audience, reportedly adding approximately 26,000 digitally generated spectators before completing further compositing and visual-effects work. The advert's singing was built around “I Feel Pretty,” a song from West Side Story, and followed Sharapova from hotel departure to match preparation. Its narrative moved from public attention and theatrical celebrity to a decisive demonstration of athletic power. Pretty premiered in the United States on August 20, 2006, in a Teen Choice Awards commercial break. It subsequently ran periodically through the remainder of 2006 and the first quarter of 2007, with appearances in cinemas and print adaptations. Its reception was notably stronger than the tone of some earlier Nike women's advertising. Reviewers highlighted the depiction of a female athlete as self-assured and physically dominant rather than vulnerable or objectified. The work won Cannes Gold Lions for Film and Best Use of Music, was shortlisted for the festival's Grand Prix, and received awards from the British Television Advertising Awards and the Clios. The campaign also supported Sharapova's continuing relationship with Nike. In 2008, she became the subject of Be Your Own Fan, a Wieden+Kennedy web-based work within the Here I Am campaign. Pretty itself remained a historical advertising property rather than a continuing product range. Its significance lies in the way it joined a major athlete endorsement to musical storytelling, special-effects production, and a direct presentation of women's sporting confidence.

• 2008

  Sharapova appears in Be Your Own Fan

  [1]Pretty (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org

  Sharapova later featured in another Wieden+Kennedy Nike work connected with the Here I Am web campaign.

• 2007

  International advertising recognition

  [1]Pretty (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org

  The campaign received major awards at Cannes and additional recognition from British television advertising and Clio juries.

• 2006

  Production of Pretty begins

  [1]Pretty (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org

  Wieden+Kennedy and director Ivan Zachariáš developed and filmed the Nike Women commercial featuring Maria Sharapova.

• 2006

  United States television premiere

  [1]Pretty (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org

  Pretty debuted on August 20 during Fox's Teen Choice Awards broadcast.

• 2006

  Sharapova wins the U.S. Open

  [1]Pretty (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org

  Sharapova won the 2006 U.S. Open shortly after the advertisement's debut.

• 1999

  Nike consolidates its advertising account with Wieden+Kennedy

  [1]Pretty (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org

  The consolidation helped restore celebrity-athlete endorsements to Nike's female-oriented advertising work.

• 1982

  Wieden+Kennedy begins its long-term Nike relationship

  [1]Pretty (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org

  Wieden+Kennedy began working with Nike, establishing the agency relationship that later produced Pretty.

A high-production Nike Women advertisement that combined celebrity tennis, fashion, musical comedy, and an assertive portrayal of female athletic performance.

• Television advertisement · 2006

  Pretty

  A 60-second Nike Women commercial following Maria Sharapova through a stylized journey from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to Arthur Ashe Stadium. People along the route and inside the stadium sing lines from “I Feel Pretty” before Sharapova ends the performance with a powerful tennis return. The spot concludes with the Nike Swoosh and the “Just Do It” strapline.

• 2006Pretty / I Feel Pretty

  United States · International distribution through cinema and print placements

  Nike Women used Maria Sharapova, theatrical singing, and a visually elaborate tennis narrative to present female athletic performance as confident, glamorous, and powerful.

  Outcome. The campaign achieved popular and critical success, won multiple advertising awards, and strengthened Sharapova's role as a Nike spokesperson.

  Source

• 2006

  Use Maria Sharapova as the central Nike Women spokespersonOther

  Background

  Nike's women's advertising had evolved from less effective early messaging toward stronger narratives and renewed use of elite athletes.

  Action taken

  Nike and Wieden+Kennedy introduced Sharapova in Pretty shortly before the 2006 U.S. Open.

  Aftermath

  The advertisement was well received, won major industry awards, and was followed by later Nike work centered on Sharapova.

  Source

1. 1Pretty (advertisement)en.wikipedia.org