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It’s time to get a motivation boost again. And believe in yourself, believe that everything is possible. The ads for sneakers are always filled with energy and superb visuals. The competition in this industry is crazy and it’s a pleasure to watch brands outsmart each other in their marketing campaigns. After all, the viewers win. That’s why we propose a list of the best sneaker ads of 2023 to give you some sneaker inspiration.
1. SUPERSTAR – adidas Originals
Why: what’s the best way to show your brand domination? Give a history lesson. This ad campaign by Adidas pays homage to the Originals. The soundtrack here is the iconic “Tears” by Giorgio Moroder (later remixed by Daft Punk and DJ Shadow). There are three videos in the campaign that also include “Gazelle” and “Samba”. The company celebrates its legendary Trefoil iconography and tells a visual story about the history of the Originals line.
2. RTFKT x NIKE 3D Billboard
Why: recent years have seen Nike become one of the leaders of 3D sneaker advertising. We saw the AirMax 1 celebration last year at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. In 2023 the brand returned with a bombastic collaboration with RTFKT that unleashed the power of AR advertising on the Japanese capital yet again. This time it’s even more impressive. The sneakers transform, traverse worlds, fight with crawling creatures, grow scary teeth, and turn into spaceships. This is the kind of advertising that we absolutely love, and we suggest that other brands turn to 3D billboards too.
3. Doja Cat vs Doja Cat – Skechers Uno
Why: Skechers is becoming cooler with every year and 2023 has been fruitful for awesome celebrity collaborations for the American company. The uber-famous Doja Cat is the latest star to hop on the Skechers Artist-in-Residence program. This particular video uses colorful anime aesthetics to put Doja against Doja and promote the Uno line in the process. Actually, the message is both simple and profound here, the slogan is “for all the different sides of you” and the battle reflects that.
4. Snoop Dogg: Get Your Dip On – Skechers
Why: who doesn’t like a good ad jingle? One of the best sneaker ads of 2023, the “Get you dip on” Skechers’ campaign with Snoop Dog is a perfect marketing. It’s super catchy, it has the West Coast hip-hop vibe, and the running time of only 30 seconds makes it a nice breezy listen. Also, it kind of breaks the canon of “motivational” sneaker ads offering an easygoing anthem for good times instead. Snoop is a heavyweight star who definitely helps the Skechers brand to appeal to a wider audience.
5. Jack Harlow. 2023 – #WeGotNow – New Balance
Why: sometimes all you need is just 15 seconds of Jack Harlow to craft one of the best sneaker ads campaigns in 2023. New Balance utilizes the rising rap megastar wisely by giving him a chance to simply be himself. In a pair of their trainers of course. Jack smiles, plays football, and walks with friends making it look charming and organic. Also, the ad gets local by putting the highlight on the rapper’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. That’s a heartwarming combination that works perfectly.
6. Beyond – Jordan Brand
Why: Nike’s Jordan Brand doesn’t need an introduction. It has long become a household name for all the sneakerheads. Their “Beyond” campaign doesn’t focus on the brand. It chooses a human condition instead. The touching video is about Mia who goes through challenges on and off court. But “every step is a chance to fly” as the ad motto suggests and we see our hero overcome all the difficulties to succeed. Family and friends are there to help.
7. Life Is Not a Spectator Sport – Reebok
Why: it’s always refreshing to see sneaker companies turn to art to market their products. That’s the case of the 2023 campaign by Reebok. The company chose to fuse magical realism with sports motivation and the result is absolutely spellbinding. Playing with the famous phrase by baseball player Jackie Robinson “Life is not a spectator sport”, the Kid.Studio-created video blurs the line between poetic and real. There’s something reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers-era videos here, the best compliment you can have for a sneaker ad.
Here’s our previous list of the best sneaker ads
Who doesn’t like sneaker ads? Some of the coolest commercials ever were produced for the sports shoe brands. It’s all speed, creativity, celebrities, and motivation. And there are no bigger enthusiasts of creative sneaker ads than the Kitcast team. That’s why we’ve decided to honor the best sneaker ads of 2022 with our traditional list. Let’s see what we had this year, buckle up for an adrenaline-filled visual journey.
1. Air Force 1 | Join Forces: Celebrating 40 Years of Force | Memphis Jookin – Nike
Why: Air Force 1 hit a respectable age of 40 in 2022. Nike decided to celebrate it in quite an unusual way. The company made a series of ads highlighting various dance collectives. This commercial specifically is about Memphis Jookin, the dance style specific to this Tennessee city. It’s a beautiful way to present and celebrate the shoe you’ve created.
One of the best Nike sneaker ads, it’s more of a poetic documentary of the movement and an ode to the colorful community. That’s next-gen marketing and a fantastic way to promote your sneaker. And can we talk about the execution for a second? It’s all 90s, sepia, and cool. Definitely one of our favorite sneaker ads of 2022.
2. Nike Japan’s Air Max Day 3D Billboard
Why: ads are still about impressing and with this 3D billboard Nike has certainly turned some heads. The place is the gigantic AR board outside Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan. The company opted for an explosive show of their trademark Air Max changing colors and designs. The whole thing looks juicy and contemporary utilizing every inch of the interactive power that this 3D billboard has.
3. Adidas + RAVI Collaboration
Why: we’re used to shoe brands partnering with famous athletes, movie stars, or singers. But how about one of the biggest sports apparel companies in the world making a collaboration with a… beloved old-school Pakistani restaurant in Dubai? One of the most charming and life-affirming sneaker ads of 2022, the RAVI campaign of Adidas is something else.
The company masterfully utilizes the local context to create a shoe celebrating the restaurant on one hand and giving a node to the community on the other. The result is a slick white and green Adidas Original Superstar shoe that immediately becomes a hot property for all collectors around the world. Also, how cool is having the names of the meals on the tongue of the sneakers? It’s a heartwarming collaboration and one of the nicest Adidas sneaker ads.
4. Kanye Skechers Commercial – SNL
Why: we know, we know, it’s not a real sneaker ad. But SNL did a great job capturing the moment in time of Kanye West’s controversies influencing the sports shoe market. In one of the most poignant and hilarious sketches of 2022, the famous show decided to reimagine its visit of Kanye to Skechers headquarters from the company’s perspective.
And while it’s definitely a parody and Skechers isn’t that much complimented and even ridiculed a bit by SNL, it also works as a good reminder of why we love this brand. Their deal is all about affordable, comfortable, and quality shoes that may not be as cool as their counterparts’ sneakers, but still do the job perfectly.
5. She Moves Us with Dua Lipa – PUMA
Why: Puma is among the masters of using celebrity power for their commercials. 2022 is the year of Dua Lipa and the company took notice. The campaign involving the chart-topping artist is a fantastic piece of sneaker advertising that is very dynamic, visually perfect, and sends all the right messages.
Narrated with a British flair by the singer herself, She Moves Us promotes the idea of always moving forward. And we think it’s a great motto to stand by.
6. Tony Romo for Skechers Max Cushioning – Skechers
Why: from the goofy description of the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as a “comfort enthusiast” to the obviously fake reactions from the office workers to seeing a gigantic human walking the streets, this Skechers ad doesn’t have that “cool” factor found in Nike or Adidas commercials. Gen Y and Z won’t be impressed, let’s put it this way. But it’s not what Skechers are aiming for.
The American company knows its customers very well and has a sharp target. And that’s the rule number one in advertising and a reason why this Max Cushioning commercial is on our list of the best sneaker ads of 2022. It is fun to watch and it works for the market segment Skechers is covering.
7. Create Now. Create Next. – Converse
Why: promote your sneakers without talking about the sneaker. Let the people do the talking. That’s the approach of Converse for their 2022 campaign. In the age of social media gathering, such an awesome team of brand ambassadors as you can see in the video is a very smart move. Converse decided to highlight the creatives of various industries including photography, music, choreography, entrepreneurship, etc. All of it with fantastic editing and a killer tune from one and only Tyler, The Creator.
From a marketing standpoint, such an approach is a treasure trove and an ultimate way to do evangelism right. Each of the people featured in the sneaker ad is an emerging or established leader in their creative niches. Converse penetrates different communities at once by choosing the right representatives of the brand. Social media will help elevate the message and multiply it. That’s why this campaign is an exemplary piece of influencer marketing and brand evangelism.
