Why Nike Ads Feel Like Religion

Is TikTok the New Super Bowl?

For decades, the Super Bowl was advertising’s biggest stage: $7 million for 30 seconds, millions of eyeballs, and Monday-morning watercooler talk. But has TikTok stolen the crown? In this episode of The Ad You Can’t Skip, we break down why TikTok feels like the new cultural arena for ads, zoom in on Ocean Spray’s viral cranberry moment and Duolingo’s chaotic green owl, and unpack why messy, funny, and unpolished content is beating polished, big-budget commercials. The Super Bowl is still about status. TikTok is about culture. And sometimes, all it takes is one weird video to make a brand unforgettable.

Why Nike Ads Feel Like Religion

Most brands sell products. Nike sells belief. In this episode of The Ad You Can’t Skip, we dive into why Nike's ads feel less like commercials and more like sermons. From the timeless power of "Just Do It" to the explosive Colin Kaepernick campaign, we unpack how Nike built decades of credibility around struggle, sacrifice, and resilience---then used that foundation to take a cultural stand that most brands would’ve run from. Why did Nike's bold move work when Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner ad flopped? We'll break it down. Rituals, saints, scripture---Nike’s playbook looks a lot like religion, and it might explain why people don’t just buy the swoosh...they believe in it.

The Pepsi Kendall Jenner Disaster

In 2017, Pepsi tried to “join the conversation” with an ad starring Kendall Jenner—and ended up sparking one of the biggest advertising backlashes in recent memory. In this episode of The Ad You Can’t Skip, we break down what Pepsi was trying to do, why it backfired so fast, and what it teaches us about authenticity in advertising. It’s the ad everyone wanted to skip---but couldn’t.