What has Nike done with the baton of stereotypes in the media

Received: 24.4.2025                      DOI:

“Stereotyping involves the representation and evaluation of others in ways that ratify and endorse unequal social relations” (Pickering, 2015: 1). The relay race of stereotypes, whose bearers are all those who allow themselves to be drawn into this obscure race, can thus be very dangerous, thanks to those who pass on the “baton.” In addition to individuals, various institutions, and many social and interest groups, the actors who often engage in this action are precisely the media, and public opinion influencers are known to rely on social trends and stereotypes through commercials (Jung, 1973). By taking into consideration fundamental questions, concepts, and context tied to advertisements in contemporary society, this paper analyzes the rejection of gender and religious stereotypes in the "Nike: What will they say about you?" commercial from 2017. Gender stereotypes are defined, by Casad and Wexler (2017: 755), as overgeneralized beliefs about the characteristics that are based exclusively on gender, without considering the actual differences between gender groups. On the topic of religious stereotypes, Warren (2018) points out that Islamophobia is now a widely reported social phenomenon, as Runnymede (a leading British think tank for racial equality) defines it as anti-Muslim racism. What does this mean? It is about religious-based hostility and discrimination against Muslim individuals and communities, which is a prominent political issue (Warren, 2018). While considering these definitions, the paper also theorizes the concepts of advertising and its narrative elements as a prerequisite for purposeful polemics on the questions of capitalism, commodification, and consumerism. Because of this, and for the purpose of analyzing gender and religious stereotypes in the advertisement "Nike: What will they say about you?", narrative analysis was chosen as the most suitable research method. It is a qualitative method that enables the researcher to investigate the cause-and-effect relationship of events in a story (Ospina and Dodge, 2005).

Theoretical framework

Capitalism, commodification, and consumerism

According to Barnard (1995), the word “advertisement” comes from the Latin adverto and advertere. The author suggests that the root of the word is related to “turn” or “turning to something”, thus incorporating the idea of directing attention into the very essence of the word (Barnard, 1995: 27). Stolac and Vlastelić (2014: 15)

define advertising as “a complex semiotic sign that promotes the value of a product; media content whose purpose is to inform potential buyers about products or services; information; selling a dream; ubiquitous business.” The persuasive effects of advertising are very well known and highlighted to the public (Jung, 1973; Cook, 2001; Baudrillard, 2005; Hromadžić, 2014), as they are inherently tied to the social circumstances we live in, and, as Walsh (2013) explains it, commodification is inevitable under capitalism, as it is part of its logic. One example of deconstructing this phenomenon is given by Bilić in Sociology of Media (2020), when, under the auspices of capitalism, he explains the increasing influence of electronic media owned by powerful companies that reduce the space for rational debate (2020: 39). Speaking of the prerequisites for the creation of modern society and the rise of capitalism as the dominant mode of economic organization, he explains "the creation of a fragmented cultural field in which different actors struggle for public visibility and authority (Bilić, 2020: 69)." Jung (1973) argues that, if a man who wants to influence public opinion misuses symbols for this purpose, while they may affect the masses if true, whether they will have an emotional effect on the unconscious of these masses cannot be calculated in advance, because it is essentially irrational. Attempts to influence public opinion by means of newspapers, radio, television, and advertising are based on two factors. On the one hand, they rely on techniques that reveal trends in collective attitudes, and on the other, they express the prejudices, projections, and unconscious complexes of the author (ibid.). Walsh (2013) goes on to explain commodification as a process of transformation of goods into products that become marketable and widely available. Afterwards, he sets a question of how far the market can, or should, go and interfere in other aspects of life. Therefore, in the context of this paper, the concept of commodifying female presence in advertising is imposed. Hromadžić (2014) speaks of women's appearance as a subject of increasing social attention, while Urla and Swedlund (2002: 24, cit. according to Hromadžić, 2014: 85) explain the logic behind female bodies becoming advertising goods on the capitalist market, as it is desirable for mass communication to be widely understandable (Vrebić and Kesegić, 2014: 51) and attention-catching. Clearly, the issue of ubiquitous consumerism arises here, the importance of which can be emphasized by framing it in the signifier of "consumerism as a way of life" versus "consumption as an act" (Žakman-Ban and Špehar Fiškuš, 2016). There is also the theory of cultivation and the thesis that media producers homogenize meanings (Ng, Chow, and Yang, 2021), which is especially highlighted in the commercial environment of media systems, as Bilić (2020: 58) points out information as being key in the production processes of the new technological paradigm. The media are thus in a direct relationship with cultural change in information societies and symbolic flows, and "the Internet is becoming an increasingly important part of the networked commu- nication structure" (ibid.). That is precisely why an Internet commercial served as the unit of analysis in this paper, even though its capitalist patterns will have proven to be politically much more resistant to commodifying femininity, rather focusing on sports products and emancipation. But before moving on to the analysis itself, it is necessary to break down the elements of the narrative that will be studied in the rest of the paper. Also, the principle on which narration is deconstructed needs to be understood, as all narratives have some basic elements in common, which is to be further explained in the following section.

Narration

Solar (1997) lists five basic stages of action in storytelling. In this sense, the exposition is described as an introduction, followed by a dynamic-based plot, or often some sort of contradiction. The climax is the moment when the tension is at its peak and must be resolved. The turning point/peripetia occurs when the plot moves in a certain direction and eventually ends with a denouement as a resolution (1997: 238239). The author explains both sequencing and gradation in storytelling, arguing that sequencing is primarily related to the stringing of motives, that is, sequencing events in a chronological order (1997: 192), while gradation is explained as a small, almost imperceptible, change that can still add details (1997: 196). Characters are also a very important component of the narrative, which can be related to advertising tendencies in terms of target groups, who are then offered the possibility of identification with the characters. "Characters offer us the possibility of identification, but also of refusing to identify with them, they evoke feelings of sympathies and antipathies, love and hatred, fun and boredom" (Grdešić, 2015: 61). Regarding media storytelling itself, Osmančević and Car (2017: 8) emphasize that communication today is almost impossible to imagine without the mass media. “They help shape up our personality, our attitudes and values, even when they indoctrinate, misinform, or mislead us” (Osmančević and Car, 2017: 8). Media narratives thus guide decision-making processes through framing (Entman, 1991), and for narrative analysis as a method to be successful, it is crucial to distinguish the elements that will be observed within media storytelling. Accordingly, the categories that stood out in the advertisement “Nike: What will they say about you?" from 2017 include women's inhibitions, success, independence, and emancipation, as well as women's physical qualifications through the presentation of the role of sports, which are now to be explained in more detail. The reason why "Nike: What will they say about you?" commercial, in particular, was chosen for analysis is because it addresses several important aspects in just a bit more than one minute. It deals with the subject of women’s freedom, athleticism, individuality, religion, and stereotypes. Also, the YouTube platform, where it is published, seemed most suitable for commercial analysis because of the platform’s interactive element and the popularity of the media. Therefore, said commercial was picked out for narrative analysis as an example of positive media portrayal.

Inhibition of women as a media narrative

Success, independence, and emancipation of women as a media narrative

Powell (2018) points out that, although women are still somewhat underrepresented in the media, new media are encouraging women from different contexts to get involved, without implying traditional ideas of power. There are examples of positive portrayals of women in commercials, as Gajger and Car (2020) show in their narrative analysis of advertisements for perfumes that showcased women as decisive, assertive, independent, and wrapped in the idea of emancipation. Nevertheless, it was significantly easier to track papers emphasizing the negative media portrayal of women than positive, which is one of the main reasons this paper tries to contribute to filling that gap. Although Hamid, Basid, and Aulia (2021: 100) claim that Arab women and patriarchal culture are almost inseparable, they also explain that the emancipation and reactualization of the identity of Arab women is being written about in the media and point to potential positive developments. Posetti (2006) emphasized the media’s debate on hijab as an extremism symbol, a sign of

Muslim women’s backwardness. Therefore, its symbolism can be used to portray them as victims of their religion, or they could be shown wearing them proudly and showcasing their religion, depending on the media framing.

Qualifications of women and the role of sports as a media narrative

Milner and Braddock (2017) link the treatment of women in sports with issues of gender perception and discrimination but emphasize an increasing number of women who now compete in “traditionally male sports”, such as football or mixed martial arts. Sherry, Osborne, and Nicholson (2016) state that women's sport is still not sufficiently represented in the media. They explain that by "a low level of media interest, narrative focus, prominence of positioning or scheduling, linguistic choice, and visual representation of women's sport" (2016: 299). Midgley, DeBues-Stafford, Lockwood, and Thai (2021) discuss the importance of sports’ role models for women, emphasizing that women are less likely than men to name same-sex examples of successful sportspeople. Nevertheless, women were shown to be more motivated by their gender, and the authors claim that same-sex role models provide them with evidence that success is possible, and it depicts a positive future against negatively represented stereotypes. Semi-structured interviews with participants from Istanbul showed that stereotypical portrayals and emphasizing physical appearance over athletic skills resulted in internalization of stereotypes and affected the participant’s self-esteem, contributing to performance anxiety and creating mental health challenges (Şahin, Soylu, Toktas, and Köse, 2024). This highlights the crucial role the media can play in constructing the way narratives are framed and its consequences.

Methodological feamework

Aim and research questions

The aim of this paper is to analyze the ways in which women are represented in the "Nike: What will they say about you?" commercial, how this is related to social stereotypes, and how it serves the general representation of women in society. The research questions of the paper pose to examine how women are portrayed in the advertisement, what the relationship between their depiction and social, gender, and religious stereotypes is, what symbols appear in the commercial, and in what context. The method of research used to achieve this is narrative analysis.

Narrative analysis

Polkinghorne (1995) argues that narrative analysis uses stories while dealing with human experience and activities. In this sense, the environment in which the narra- tive takes place, the characters that are being created, the events and actions of the narrative, are all integrated and crucial for thorough exploration (ibid.). Equally important is the characterization of narrative and its various themes, because they can be, among everything else, political in nature (Chandler, 1997). The tone and mood of the message create a relationship between the text and the reader, which is a crucial component for this paper, as it decides on the way the media audience is being addressed (ibid.). Put simply, the narrative method is based on the idea that people make sense of the world through stories and their meanings (Ospina and Dodge, 2005: 145), which makes a narrative the core of media text. Therefore, it was selected as the research method for this paper.

Sample

Analysis and results

Sherry, Osborne, and Nicholson (2016) argue that women’s sports are still underrepresented in the media, and Midgley, DeBues-Stafford, Lockwood, and Thai (2021) have found that women are less likely to cite examples of successful female athletes than men are likely to name male athletes. However, the authors argue that women are more motivated by their own gender because other women provide them with evidence that success is possible. Considering that, the “Nike: What will they say about you?” commercial seems to seek to inspire and encourage women’s sports, as they are placed in contexts of various disciplines, such as running, skateboarding, boxing, football, parkour, ice skating, and fencing. In this way, both “traditionally masculine” and “traditionally feminine” sports (see Milner and Braddock, 2017) are merged into a neutral category where women are successful and motivated simply because they exercise and put in the effort. Therefore, the focus is on sports and Nike equipment, rather than anything else. This is not to say that Nike doesn’t use marketing tricks to present their equipment, or that engaging more women in sports doesn’t favor the brand, only that they found a somewhat positive way to do it, without diving into social polarizations and creating more prejudice.

Conclusion

This paper provides a combination of gender and religious stereotype analysis while placing the advertisement "Nike: What will they say about you?" into the contemporary media cultural context. While considering capitalist trends that manifest themselves through elements of commodification and consumerism, the paper uses

narrative analysis to find out about the representation of women in said commercial. Since narrative analysis deals with human experiences through stories, it was chosen as the most suitable method for this qualitative research of media text. The paper focuses on only one commercial, as it aims to make a very thorough analysis of its narrative elements, but there are limits to this in terms of generalizability and potential researcher bias. The field could benefit from future research comparing positive media practice in systematized categories and drawing conclusions from that. This research has found that said commercial seems to be resisting the traditional (and somewhat contemporary) stereotypes by showcasing women who are strong, persistent, and resilient, regardless of religion or gender. This is done by portraying them in challenging disciplines and conditions that require a lot of sacrifice. Female appearance isn’t the subject of attention, as the emphasis is on sports and women's emancipation. This doesn’t suggest that Nike didn’t use certain trends or consumeristic tricks to put focus on their equipment, only that they found a more positive way to do it, proving that it is possible to sell a product and still send a meaningful message to your buyers. Therefore, the symbols in the advertisement also served the purpose of empowering representations of women, denying sexual and religious prejudice, thereby challenging traditional societal divisions and roles. The discourse of this commercial can serve as an example of positive media representation, and writing about such examples might have a positive overall effect, which is the aim and importance of this paper. Moreover, Nike’s approach to tackling stereotypes in advertising could have significant practical implications, such as influencing consumer behavior, supporting emancipation and women’s athleticism, maybe even setting new industry standards and providing guidance for marketers and brands. In conclusion, Nike, in this case, did not pass on the social baton of stereotypes, and such examples invite for representation in public discourse.