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{{short description|2006 Nike television advertisement}}
{{Infobox TV advert
|name=Pretty
|image=Prettynike.jpg
|caption=A [[film frame|frame]] from ''Pretty''
|client=[[Nike Inc.]]
|product=Nike&nbsp;Women&nbsp;sportswear
|agency=[[Wieden+Kennedy]]
|director=[[Ivan Zachariáš]]
|production company=Smuggler
|producer=Robyn Boardman
|music=[[Leonard Bernstein]] ("[[West Side Story|I&nbsp;Feel&nbsp;Pretty]]")
|released=August 20, 2006
|runtime= 60 [[second]]s
|language=English
|budget=
|starring=[[Maria Sharapova]]
|country= United States
|preceded_by=
|followed_by=
|website=
}}
'''''Pretty''''' (or '''''I Feel Pretty''''') is a [[television advertising|television advertisement]] launched in 2006 by [[Nike, Inc.]] to promote its "Nike Women" [[brand]] of [[sportswear]]. The 60-second spot was handled by [[advertising agency]] [[Wieden+Kennedy]] in [[Portland, Oregon]]. The advert stars [[Russians|Russian]] [[tennis]] player [[Maria Sharapova]] in her first appearance as a spokesperson for the brand. ''Pretty'' debuted on [[television in the United States|U.S. television]] on August 20, 2006, with later appearances in cinemas and in [[newspaper advertisement|print advertisements]]. It was directed by [[Czechs|Czech]] director [[Ivan Zachariáš]], with post-production and VFX work by [[The Mill (post-production)|The Mill]]. 

The piece was a critical and popular success. It garnered several advertising and television industry awards.

==Sequence==
''Pretty'' follows a day in the life of Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova. It shows her getting ready, leaving [[The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel]] and travelling by limousine to a match at [[New York City]]'s [[Arthur Ashe Stadium]] pursued by [[paparazzi]]. Every person she passes on the way sings a line from "I Feel Pretty", a song performed by the character Maria in the second act of the [[musical theatre|stage musical]] "[[West Side Story]]". She arrives at the game, where fellow players, reporters, camera crew, the [[ball boy|ball boys and girls]], announcers, and umpire sing the chorus along with the crowd, until silenced by a powerful [[Ace (tennis)|return ace]] from Sharapova. The ad ends with a superimposition of the [[Swoosh|Nike Swoosh]] and the [[strapline]] "Just&nbsp;Do&nbsp;It" over Sharapova as she gets into position for the next serve.

==Background==
The advertising agency [[Wieden+Kennedy]] began its partnership with Nike, Inc. in 1982 and, aside from a short period in the mid-1980s, has held the account ever since.<ref>Elliott, Stewart (November 23, 1999). "[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E4DA103CF930A15752C1A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Wieden & Kennedy wins the gold, as Nike gives it the consolidated United States account.]", ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved October 25, 2008.</ref> In the early years of the partnership, campaigns were focused almost exclusively at male demographics, leaving the market for women's sportswear to rivals such as [[Reebok]] and [[LA Gear]].<ref name="p1554">Riggs, Thomas (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Major Marketing Campaigns, Vol 2.'' Thomson Gale, p1154. {{ISBN|978-0-7876-7356-7}}.</ref> The few campaigns targeted by Nike at women in the 1980s, including one with the copy line "It wouldn't hurt to stop eating like a pig, either.", had not proved particularly effective.<ref name="p1554"/> Despite more successful efforts in the 1990s, such as the "If You Let Me Play" campaign, Nike decided in 1997 to briefly reassign the section of its marketing budget given to female-oriented promotion from Wieden+Kennedy to rival firm [[Goodby, Silverstein & Partners]]. Goodby's brief tenure as lead agency for this area of Nike's marketing saw it reposition the brand, eschewing the use of celebrity athletes in favour of ordinary women.<ref>LoRusso, Maryann (February 16, 1998). "Women from Mars: Through New Marketing Strategies, Athletic Companies are Reinforcing the Importance of Female Consumers", ''Footwear News'', p.30.</ref> However, the consolidation of Nike's account in 1999 with Wieden+Kennedy marked the return of [[testimonial|celebrity endorsements]] to Nike campaigns, including athletes such as Olympic runner [[Suzy Favor-Hamilton]].<ref name="Elliot2">Elliott, Stewart (September 19, 2000). "[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE3DA173BF93AA2575AC0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 Television Campaigns Are Creating Some Controversy during the Summer Games]", ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved October 25, 2008.</ref> ''Pretty'' continued this trend, and showcased the debut of Maria Sharapova as a spokesperson for the brand.<ref name="SBD">"[http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/105142 Nike This Weekend Breaking First Spot Around Maria Sharapova]", ''Sports Business Daily'', September, 2006. Retrieved October 25, 2008.</ref>

Maria Sharapova had been playing tennis professionally since 2001, and became the youngest girl to reach the final at the junior [[Australian Open]] the following year, at the age of 14. In 2004, Sharapova became the third-youngest winner of the women's [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon Championships]].<ref>Williams, Richard (June 30, 2004). "Sharapova sharpens her steel". ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref> By 2005, she was ranked Number 1 in the world.<ref>"[http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/players/playerprofiles/PlayerBio2.asp?PlayerID=310137 WTA: Career Highlights]". WTA Tour. Retrieved on July 23, 2008.</ref> ''Pretty'' was filmed and released in the run-up to Sharapova's appearance in the [[2006 U.S. Open (tennis)|2006 U.S. Open]], a tournament she would go on to win.

==Production==
Production of the commercial began in early 2006. Wieden+Kennedy signed up director [[Ivan Zachariáš]], known for his award-winning<ref>[http://www.adswatcher.com/directors/ivan-zacharias/ Profile: Ivan Zacharias], ''AdWatcher'', 13 September 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2008.  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411021754/http://www.adswatcher.com/directors/ivan-zacharias/ |date=April 11, 2008 }}</ref> work on [[Land Rover]]'s "Born Free" campaign and the [[Stella Artois]] pieces ''[[Plague (Stella Artois)|Plague]]'' and ''[[Pilot (Stella Artois)|Pilot]]'', to direct ''Pretty''. Filming was done entirely on location, and the performances by the actors used in the spot were recorded live on set by miniature microphones concealed in their costume.<ref name="Mill">"[http://www.ukscreenassociation.co.uk/news/articles.htm?aId=746 Mill NY Makes Maria Feel Pretty] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726021144/http://www.ukscreenassociation.co.uk/news/articles.htm?aId=746 |date=2011-07-26 }}", ''UK Screen Association.'' Retrieved October 25, 2008.</ref> ''Pretty'' was to be the first time Sharapova would appear in the Nike performance tennis dress she would wear to the U.S. Open.<ref name="Nike">[[Nike, Inc.]] ([[press release]]) (17 August 2006). "[http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2006/08/17_sharapova.html Maria Sharapova Dispels "Pretty Girl" Image In First Solo Nike Campaign]". Retrieved October 25, 2008.</ref> The stadium scene was filmed with only 100 [[extra (actor)|extra]]s, along with [[Tennis Hall of Fame]] inductee [[John McEnroe]], his brother and captain of the [[United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics#Tennis|2004 U.S. Men's Olympic tennis team]], [[Patrick McEnroe]], and two-time tennis Olympic gold medalist [[Mary Joe Fernandez]].<ref name="SBD"/> The remaining 26,000 members of the crowd were created by [[The Mill (post-production)|The Mill]] before filming even began, using [[Massive (software)|Massive]], and were added to the scene in [[post production]]. [[Flame (software)|Flame]] was used for minor enhancements to the piece, including adding reflections and other cleanup.<ref name="Mill"/>

==Release and reception==
''Pretty'' debuted on U.S. television on Sunday, August 20, 2006, in a commercial break during [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s annual [[Teen Choice Awards]] ceremony, a week before the start of the 2006 U.S. Open.<ref name="Nike"/> Its run continued in bursts throughout the remainder of 2006 and the first quarter of 2007. The ad proved fairly popular, and was praised for showing female athletes as strong and self-assured, in direct contrast to an earlier campaign run during the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] which showed Olympic runner Suzy Favor-Hamilton fleeing from a masked killer.<ref name="p1554"/><ref name="Elliot2"/>

The piece was also critically successful, receiving awards from the advertising and television industries, including two [[Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival|Cannes Gold Lions]] in the categories of Film and Best Use of Music. It was shortlisted alongside ''[[Sony_marketing#.22Paint.22|Paint]]'' ([[Sony]]), ''[[Power of Wind]]'' ([[Epuron]]) and  eventual winner ''[[Evolution (Dove)|Evolution]]'' ([[Dove (toiletries)|Dove]]) for the festival's Grand Prix.<ref>Diaz, Ann-Christine (June 23, 2007). "[http://creativity-online.com/?action=news:article&newsId=118806&sectionId=cannes07 Film Grand Prix goes to Dove "Evolution"]", ''Creativity''. Retrieved October 25, 2008.</ref>

Other awards given to the team behind ''Pretty'' include a silver award in the "Retail" category of the [[British Television Advertising Awards]], and a bronze [[Clio Awards|Clio Award]] in the "Apparel/Fashion" category.<ref>"[http://www.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/6687342/ ''Pretty'' detail summary]", AdForum.com. Retrieved October 25, 2008.{{subscription required}}</ref>

Maria Sharapova went on to win the 2006 U.S. Open, and continues to act as a celebrity spokesperson for the Nike brand. In 2008, she was the focus of another Wieden+Kennedy piece entitled ''Be Your Own Fan'', part of the [[online advertising|web-based]] "Here I Am" advertising campaign, which charts her career to date in animated form.<ref>Sweney, Mark (September 9, 2008). "[https://www.theguardian.com/global/2008/sep/09/advertising Maria Sharapova stars in animated 'Here I Am' Nike advert]", ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved October 25, 2008.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716095915/http://www.smugglersite.com/01/directors/video.html?mov=zacharias_pretty.mov ''Pretty''] at the Smuggler production company website. ([[.mov]] format)
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuxGtTA0Jrc ''Pretty''] on [[YouTube]] <!--added since not everyone can play .mov files-->

{{Nike, Inc.|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:2006 works]]
[[Category:American television commercials]]
[[Category:2000s television commercials]]
[[Category:Nike, Inc. advertising]]
[[Category:Wieden+Kennedy]]