Nike's 'What If You Can' Campaign Is Inspiring Saudi Girls To Chase Their Dreams

The global sportswear company Nike has launched its newest advertising campaign, “What if you can?” in Saudi Arabia created by Kennedy Wieden + Feld. The initiative seeks to ignite young girls with enthusiasm and confidence so they may pursue their athletic careers and achieve their full potential. Filmed in Riyadh, the entire ad was made in collaboration with Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour. The video depicts a teenage girl’s discovery of movement, where she discovers her potential and finds delight in physical activity, boosting her self-esteem. The advertisement is becoming popular on social media platforms and has received 37 million views on YouTube.

The video begins with schoolgirls playing football, and the ball stops at a female student who is seated on the school’s stairs. Do you want to play? says one of the pupils in Arabic. “Come on, let’s go.”

Despite not playing with other pupils, the girl in the advertisement is seen considering every action she does and how it can help her become an athlete in other sports.

In her fantasies, benches become balancing beams and library shelves become climbing walls, transforming ordinary school situations into athletic possibilities.

Nike stated of the campaign, “Imagine being a team player who has never met her team, a striker who has never touched a ball, a gymnast who has never taken a leap. Potential is a terrible thing to waste. So, what if you can? There’s only one way to find out. Just Do It.”

The ad was met with applause from social media users, with The Spectator editor Fraser Nelson calling the rate of societal transformation in Saudi Arabia “quite stunning.”

Prominent soccer podcast, SHE scores bangers, stated on X, “This is a generational shift of a commercial. It’s significant.”

Yet another user stated that “Nike needs to do more of this.”

One more highlighted, “Sport – Women- Saudi! This combination is not reality for the females in the country.”

“Kudos to the agency behind this amazing campaign,” the commenter added.

“If you told me 10 years ago Saudi Arabia would allow commercials like this, I would laugh and call you crazy,” a user declared.

“Unthinkable a few years ago – wow,” read a comment.

Haifaa Al Mansour expressed her hope that the film would inspire young women to break boundaries and never stop searching for fresh opportunities in an interview with Campaign Middle East.

She went on to say that the most satisfying thing she could think of would be if the film inspired females to take up a sport for the first time.