Nike's So Win Super Bowl Campaign: A Marketing Case Study

Step aside Taylor Swift, there’s a new marketing sheriff in town. Amidst the brightest stage, Nike somehow managed to tower over the entire cast of Super Bowl ads to empower women’s sports in front of a record-setting 127 million people. Despite leveraging marquee athletes like Caitlin Clark and Sha’Carri Richardson and featuring their Chief Marketing Officer Nichole Graham, Nike still faced backlash from multiple audiences, stirring the pot and questioning the validity of this campaign. But how did Nike silence the noise and perfectly capture the renaissance of women’s sports?

This marketing case study unpacks Nike’s "So Win" campaign, their successful marketing strategies, and how it completely disrupted the sports world during Super Bowl LIX.

Nike's Subpar Super Bowl Resume

Despite being the largest sportswear brand, Nike hasn’t showcased a Super Bowl advertisement since their “Swoosh This” campaign in 1988. The 30-second ad featured an 80-year-old runner in sunny San Francisco, glancing into his 17-mile run he does daily. The warm advertisement made audiences feel inspired, amazed, and amused in a single breath. When asked “how do you keep your teeth from chattering during the winter time?” Runner, Walt Stack, replied,

“I leave them (his teeth) in my locker.”

So What Changed?

In short - everything. Financially, Nike’s stock took off as their market share grew - soaring as high as $169.24 per share in late 2021 (current stock price of $72.26 as of 2/12/25). Corporately, Nike globalized its presence by expanding to European and Asian markets and establishing international headquarters in The Netherlands and China. These expansions increased the number of employees drastically, from 17,200 in 1996 to 79,400 in 2024.

Finally, brand partnerships quickly worked in Nike’s favor. Sport organizations like the NBA and NFL turned from Adidas and Reebok and went all-in on the swoosh, increasing both revenue and screen time. These partnerships would also create a ripple effect through collegiate (D1, D2, D3, etc) and high school sports, further establishing the brand’s dominance in sports.

These significant changes meant that Nike would always be on any screen at any time. From uniforms, to corporate sponsorships, athlete endorsements, and even the occasional ad, Nike dominated sports marketing - without needing to spend a single dime on Super Bowl advertising.

So if that’s the case, then why is this year different from the 37 others that didn’t have a Super Bowl ad?

The Renaissance of Women's Sports

2024 was the year of women’s sports. After years, if not decades, of athletes, advocates, and front offices backing women’s sports, the world shifted to not just embrace it - but to exalt it. Since 2023, women’s sports have:

• Set a record high 92,003 fans at a single women’s sporting event (Nebraska Women’s Volleyball - outdoor)
• An 18% increase in viewership in 2024 for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
• A 170% increase in viewership in 2024 for the WNBA
• League expansions for the NWSL and WNBA
• A new 3x3 women’s professional basketball league, Unrivaled

The renaissance of women’s sports reflects everything Nike stands for - disrupting the norm, promoting inclusivity, and rooting for everyone to victory. Their latest campaign was the byproduct of this perfect storm - continuing to empower women’s sports during a male-dominated sporting event.

Nike's "So Win" Campaign

Nike headlined Super Bowl LIX marketing with their latest "So Win" marketing campaign, breaking their 37-year absence by featuring an advertisement during the Big Game. This campaign featured Nike’s most prestigious female athletes ranging from professional and collegiate arenas - “encouraging athletes to block out the noise, dig in, and let their hard work speak for themselves.”

In addition to Jordan Chiles (gymnast), Sha’Carri Richardson (sprinter), and Caitlin Clark (basketball), New York Liberty star, Sabrina Ionescu expanded on the significance of Nike’s campaign by stating,

“Women’s sport isn’t the future, it’s right now. We’re seeing it in packed arenas, in TV ratings, in the way people are showing up for the game like never before. Commanding attention isn’t about being the loudest in the room. It’s about making sure that when you step up, everyone takes notice.” - Sabrina Ionescu

Nike’s "So Win" campaign featured both photo and video strategies, with the centerpiece being their coveted Super Bowl ad that paired compelling visuals with striking messaging. Shortly after the ad was televised, Nike revamped their website to display their "So Win" campaign, featuring both the video and a new product collection for fans to browse and purchase from.

“At Nike, we make sure the athlete is at the center of everything we do, from product creation to storytelling,” says Nike Chief Marketing Officer Nicole Graham. “We are at our best when we are representing the voice of the athlete and their voice becomes our voice. This brand anthem, featuring elite Nike athletes, is a perfect example of how we can inspire everyone to win, whatever that means for them.” - Nike CMO Nichole Graham

Nike's "Winning" Marketing Strategies

The company’s "So Win" campaign wasn’t just marked by successful athletes. Nike’s comprehensive, robust marketing strategy created a Super Bowl ad worth remembering and studying. Let’s take a look:

Dissected and Redefined Super Bowl Marketing

Everyone makes a bold statement at the Super Bowl, but most ads recycle the came content strategy we’ve been seeing for years. Most Super Bowl ads include the following

• A well-recognized influencer to be the face of the ad (i.e. John Cena)
• An every day event people can relate to (i.e. driving to work)
• An unrealistic detail (i.e. driving on donuts to skip the horrendous traffic)
• A lackluster outro (i.e.new seasonal donut available)

However, "So Win" is something that we have never seen before in a Super Bowl advertisement. Aside from attention-grabbing, this campaign redefined marketing strategy amidst the toughest competition. Nike strayed away from the tried and proven, yet recycled strategy and decided to disrupt the sports world by spending millions empowering women’s sports during a male-dominated sporting event. Now that’s setting a new standard.

Marketed to Consumers’ Doorsteps | Audience Breakdown

Nike wasn’t going to spend ~ $8 million on a single Super Bowl ad without conducting extensive market research. The difference is that they needed to gather research for both their own company and for the Super Bowl’s target audience. Below is the likelihood of watching the Super Bowl among US adults in February 2024 (via Statista).

This chart not only reveals the Super Bowl’s ideal age range for viewership (30-65), but also portrays the indecisiveness Generation Z is commonly known for (light blue). With a record high 127.7 million viewers during the 2025 Super Bowl, matching the advertisement to the audience is more crucial than ever, but how did Nike’s target audience match up to the Super Bowl’s?

Nike’s target audience closely aligns to the stats above according to SimilarWeb. In addition to ideal age range, Nike’s target audience consists of these key traits:

• 46% female; 54% male
• Age: 18.3% 18-24; 29.78% 25-34; 20.38% 35-44; 15.71% 45-54; 9.98% 55-64
• Digital Traffic: 76% mobile; 24% Desktop
• Social Breakdown: 41.18% Facebook (Meta); 27.4% YouTube; 8.58% Reddit; 6.26% LinkedIn; 5.03% Instagram

Leveraged Global Social Media Presence

Nike leveraged their dominant social presence, publishing multiple deliverables across their channels via Instagram and X. With the eleventh highest Instagram following (300+ million), Nike not only made the most of this strategy, but also leveraged their ‘Nike Women’ Instagram (6.5 million followers) to promote their "So Win" campaign. Others like Caitlin Clark (3 million followers) would chime in as well, sharing their vision with the campaign with their shared and separate to expand the total reach. This is, of course, in addition to the 127+ million viewers that watched Super Bowl LIX on February 9th.

Solidified Corporate Messaging and Stance

The "So Win" campaign solidified Nike’s stance on women’s sports and empowerment - marking a pivotal point in the brand’s short and long-term strategy. For years, if not decades, Nike has continued to push women’s empowerment in the world of sports - and there’s no way to run from it - it’s here to stay.

The contrasting language in the video hinted at the years of denial and discouragement that women have faced - whether it was during elementary school soccer or competing on the brightest stages at the Olympics. Even when those say ‘you can’t do it’ - do it. Even when they ‘you won’t make the shot’ - make the shot and wave back at them. They say, ‘you won’t win’ - So win. By reclaiming dismissive language and turning it into a source of empowerment, millions of women around the world have ignited a new fire in them for their sport, proving once and for all they not only CAN, but WILL accomplish what they set out to do.

The Rain on Nike's Super Bowl Parade

While Nike’s messaging resonated with millions during the big game, it didn’t sit well with particular audiences, sparking ‘outrage’ with people accusing Nike of sending a ‘horrible message’ to women. According to Alexa Cimino with Daily Mail, fans thought "So Win" came off as demoralizing, with others going as far as ‘inauthentic and desperate’ and showing a ‘defeatist mentality.’

While it’s fair and understandable for audiences to have this strong of feelings about Nike’s "So Win" campaign, it ultimately aligns closely with other campaigns they have done in the past; which have shared polarizing perspectives that are both positive and negative. For example, “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” was a standout marketing campaign during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. However, their strong, contrasting messaging gave mixed emotions about the campaign - even to the length of claiming it to be an unsuccessful project.

Two things. One, if brand’s aren’t receiving any pushback from their campaigns, they’re likely not pushing to create the best campaigns possible. In short, you rarely receive criticism from those doing better than you - so it’s safe to say Nike is gaining momentum. Two: regardless of how one feels about the "So Win" campaign, there’s no denying that women’s sports is winning - and winning big. By expanding leagues, creating new ones, and building one-of-a-kind ads that empower women’s sports, the space is taking advantage of every opportunity that is being thrown at them, and the negative opinions are solidifying the validity of their success.

Conclusion

Nike’s "So Win" marketing campaign not only disrupted Super Bowl advertising, but explained why going against the grain can be your greatest weapon within an emotionally-appealing strategy. Despite catching negative reviews, Nike’s "So Win" was the perfect revival from their 37-year break from the Super Bowl. From leveraging marquee athletes, to pulling quotes from their CMO, to casting their video to over 400 million people, Nike is not only exalting women’s sports, they’re setting the standard - a very, very high one at that.

About the Author

Nick Jelderks is the Founder & Digital Marketing Director of Triple JJJ, a media company documenting the marketing of sports and culture. With 30+ marketing case studies generating nearly 170,000 impressions within the past year, Jelderks has emerged as a thought-leader, continually disrupting the marketing and media space with industry-leading deliverables.

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