Animated shoe commercials are rare to find; however, we have managed to complete a list of the most powerful five in the industry. The brilliant thing about animation is that it can be used to explain complex innovation. By using animation, businesses can strip apart their creations to communicate their unique selling points, which is a clever ploy to get sales. For example, designs such as the ‘torsion system’ and ‘stretch web’ are hard to converse simply via the written word. In contrast, animations can show revolutionary technology with ease in a short amount of time through visual effects.
Unsurprisingly the leading players in animated shoe commercials are sports shoes. Adidas and Nike are formidable brands in the sports shoe sphere, and they implement animation the best in their commercials where they occupy four of the five spots on our list.
Without wasting any more time, here are five of the best-animated shoe commercials.
1. Take the Deal – Dare to Create Animated Shoe Commercial (2020).
This Adidas football boot commercial is mesmerising. Adidas have incorporated 2D and 3D motion animation to display not only the football boots but many visual effects which takes the audience on a mind-bending journey from start to finish. The animated shoe commercial shows some of the best footballers from around the world, who detail the brilliance of the boots. This certainly works as by the end of the commercial it makes the consumer feel like they must purchase the product. Staggeringly, this animated shoe commercial raked up a whopping 2.5million views in two minutes. This is undoubtedly our favourite shoe commercial as it expertly blends real-life footage with animation, leaving the audience wanting more. We love this commercial for its powerful message and visual excellence.
2. Jamie Foy New Balance NM306 Origins Animated Shoe Commercial (2019)
This animated shoe commercial expertly blends real-life footage with intricate 3D animation. Using this complex animation, customers can easily understand the science and innovation of the trainer. Merging the animation with actual footage makes for a humorous watch where Jamie Foy is the face of the trainer.
The complex 3D animation used in this advert comes at a cost (view our costing tool for more information on price) but using this type of animation allows brands to explain their innovation through images rather than lengthy spoken or written messages. After all, a consumer’s attention needs to be captured quickly in the modern digital era.
New Balance is not famous for skateboarding shoes; therefore, they need to make a positive impression on potential customers instantly. The animation is impressive as it breaks down the shoe completely, showing the remarkable qualities of the sole, the toe, and the breathable material within the trainer.
Unfortunately, this animation doesn’t appear to have the reach of both the Adidas and Nike commercials, but we think it’s visually excellent and love Jamie as a character in the advert, kudos New Balance.
3. Nike Kobe8 (2012)
The Nike Kobe8 basketball sneaker commercial was created back in 2012; nonetheless, it is incredibly innovative for its time. The 3D animation helps to show the unique selling point of the sneaker, which is to run fast on the court.
The animation takes the consumer on a journey where it explains all aspects of the trainer, from the breathable lightweight mesh to the low-profile cushioning insole. Next, the sneakers can be seen gliding effortlessly on the animated basketball court to show the aerodynamic design. Yet, the most impressive part is the penultimate animation where the sneaker morphs into a snake. This is cunningly designed as it is a symbol of the black mamba snake which Kobe Bryant was nicknamed after. The imagery of the snake gives a lasting impression and is bespoke to Bryant. Sadly, Bryant passed away in 2020, yet his legacy lives on with his sneakers which continue to sell in their masses worldwide. The Kobe8 was created at the height of Bryant’s career and remains the highest-selling sneaker of his collaboration with Nike.
4. Adidas Ultra-Boost (2013)
The Adidas ultra-boost animated shoe commercial is the most in-depth commercial of all on this list. Adidas have homed in on the production of the trainer and how it is state of the art. Without any distraction, the Adidas ultra-boost is split into its different layers; firstly, mentioning the state-of-the-art cushioning materials that make up the trainer’s sole. The sequence that follows is like an ingredient list of every fibre of the shoe. The final product is then finely knitted together at the end to show its brilliance. Adidas claims that the trainer is revolutionising running, and this animated shoe commercial certainly creates hype around the trainer.
5. Nike Lebron 17 (2019)
Nike created this animated shoe commercial in 2017. The commercial cleverly shows the design and production of Lebron James’ innovative trainer. The tailored 3D animation splits the trainer apart, showing each layer of the sneaker, making the consumer learn the in-depth process the trainer went through to become the complete product. Using animation instead of real-life footage makes for a playful commercial, yet Nike still manages to portray the complex and innovative design of the sneaker.
The Lebron 17 was the highest-selling basketball shoe of 2020, and Lebron James sold the most trainers under his name than any other NBA basketballer in the same year. We can’t help but think this complex commercial helped the success.
The Future of Animated Shoe Commercials
Compiling this list has made us realise how well-matched animation is with displaying the complexity of shoe invention. Moreover, it is difficult to find many other examples beyond the five we have listed; there appears to be a gap in the market!
Animation is looking increasingly likely to be the future of sports shoes at least. Nike has recently announced they will be stepping into the metaverse and have released the NFT Nike CryptoKicks. In their announcement Nike use animation to display their NFT CryptoKick range, how exciting!
If you have a product you love but struggle to get your message across, then using animation could be the answer. Feel free to contact us or visit our homepage to see the types of animation we offer.