Why Nike is embracing the long form trend

Few have the attention span to sit through a long form ad, such as the new Nike Jordan Brand offering, but that’s entirely the point.

In an era where we’re time scarce, the proliferation of long form ads seems counterintuitive. Yet, pop-up they do, with Apple often indulging in them and IAMS getting involved too.

Maverick advertising

The latest generous offering to grace our screens was an effort from Nike, featuring man-of-the-moment Luka Dončić, who was unexpectedly traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dončić is putting in the work as part of his partnership with Jordan Brand, and since joining the Lakers, he has topped the NBA jersey sales charts. In the ad, Dončić is put on trial for "bad behaviour". The trial takes a turn when a juror becomes mesmerised by Dončić's Jordan Brand shoes.

The courtroom scene escalates as Dončić leads a "Defense!" basketball chant, with everyone, including the jurors, joining in. A young lady testifies about Dončić hitting a game-winner and yelling at her dad, only to reveal that her dad was actually admiring Dončić's shoes.

The ad concludes with Dončić being questioned about his trash-talking. With a wink, he shows off his Jordan Brand shoes, winning over the jury and sparking a courthouse celebration.

Long on long form

So why long form, and why now? 

Well, firstly, despite being told we’re losing our attention spans, the popularity of podcasts and meandering YouTube interviews suggests we’re merely becoming more selective in our deep dives.

Having the proclivity to actually sit down and watch a ten-minute ad is indeed a niche interest, but that’s sort of the point: we are in the era where the ‘superfan’ rules supreme. In other words, fans who will sit down for the full duration, then take to Reddit to write a glowing review, are the exact patrons you need to engage.

The music world is waking up to this. According to Luminate's 2023 Mid-Year Music Report, superfans made up more than 15% of the general population in the US, yet they spend 80% more on music each month compared to the average US-based music listener.

The relevance to the world of marketing, more broadly, is glaring. So it’s easy to see why Nike is making such investments in its core fans. After all, who doesn’t know a ‘sneakerhead’ who keeps their limited edition Nikes in pristine condition? This one’s for them.