Serena Williams & Nike: Activism in Advertising

Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire.
Faculty of Film, Art and Creative Technologies.
“The Greatest Athlete Ever”
How Serena Williams is Used in Nike’s Activism Style of Advertising
By Lauren Kilroy
Submitted to Department of Art and Design
in candidacy for the Degree in Visual Communication Design.
2020!
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Declaration of Originality
This dissertation is submitted by the undersigned to the Institute of Art, Design and
Technology, Dun Laoghaire in partial fulfilment of the examination for the BA (Hons)
in Visual Communication Design. It is entirely the author's own work except where
noted and has not been submitted for an award from this or any other educational
institution.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Linda King for all her help and guidance during the writing of this
dissertation, and to my family, particularly my sister Robyn for their support.
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Abstract
Nike is the most popular sports clothing brand in the world. They raise awareness of pressing
issues in our society and promote inclusivity and diversity by creating advertisements and
social media posts which aim to change societies harmful stereotypes and motivate
marginalised groups to become more involved in sports. A large part of their branding is
celebrity endorsement. They turn athletes into heroes by celebrating their achievements, using
them for activism to raise awareness of pressing social issues. Professional tennis player
Serena Williams is one such athlete. As a Black woman and a mother, Williams features in
many of Nike’s advertisements to address the issues of sexism and racism. For this thesis I
will explore how Nike have used Williams in their advertisements under the headings of
gender and race in order to tackle sexism and racism in America.
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Contents
List of Plates
Introduction
0.1 Sports and Gender Inclusivity
0.2 Sports and Race Inclusivity
0.3 Nike’s Ethics
0.4 Nike and Celebrity Endorsement
0.5 Thesis Breakdown
Chapter 1 - Gender, Williams & Nike
1.1 Nike and Gender Equality
1.2 Williams’ Gender Focused Ads
1.3 Williams, Sexism and The Media
Chapter 2 - Race, Williams & Nike
2.1 Nike and Race Equality
2.2 Williams’ Race Focused Ads
2.3 Black Lives Matter Campaigns
Conclusion
Bibliography
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