The Soft vs. Hard Approach to Winning: What On Running and Nike’s Latest Campaigns Reveal About Culture and Where We’re Headed

You can’t spell On’s SOFT WINS campaign without Nike’s So Win campaign. On Running's SOFT WINS campaign, featuring Elmo and Roger Federer (in the Superbowl spot only), encourages self-compassion and community, challenging the traditional "go-hard" mentality. In contrast, Nike’s Super Bowl commercial, So Win reinforces the idea of relentless pursuit and overcoming adversity. These two campaigns don’t just reflect different approaches to sport—they reveal a shifting culture.

Nike So Win Campaign

Traditional sports marketing relies on narratives that highlight struggle, perseverance, and ultimate victory. Some brands, like Nike in the superbowl ad spot below, layer social issues on top. On one hand, this has been a reliably strong brand narrative; however, it is also a demanding one.

Watch Nike’s great 2025 Superbowl ad from their So Win campaign.

Breakdown

• Celebrates determination, resilience, and proving oneself against the odds.

• Focuses on overcoming obstacles and striving for greatness.

• Calls consumers to consider a world where womens’ sports are viewed and invested in at the same level as mens’ sports.

• Embodies a distinctly American ethos of individualism and competition.

Analysis

This is an inspiring ad with a powerful brand message. Considering the American federal government’s assault on DEI combined with this ad being aired during the superbowl make this an even more powerful brand message that reinforces Nike’s brand attitude. 

Consider that Nike is an unabashed American brand. The ad resonates deeply with the American narrative of individual achievement, where success is earned through sheer grit. This mirrors a broader cultural ethos that prizes self-reliance and personal triumph over systemic support.  The U.S. has long championed individualism, a mindset that permeates everything from entrepreneurship to social policy. The obsession with meritocracy (however misguided and ironic) justifies a competitive, high-risk culture where only the strongest rise to the top. This belief is evident in discussions surrounding healthcare, social welfare, and education.

This ad is also extremely demanding on consumers. While the social cause to achieve parity between mens’ and womens’ sports is laudable, it also demands that women be responsible for it. It’s not enough to be an athlete—you have to challenge injustice while doing it. Moreover, enjoyment of sport seems completely absent from this ad’s narrative.

This is a lot of demand on consumers that are already weary. Consider all of the things consumers grapple with on top of running their lives:

• War

• Political instability

• Climate crisis

• High Inflation

• Layoffs

• AI

This ad asks women athletes to not just practice their sport, but to be the best at it so they can shatter barriers. Contrast this with On Running’s ad that also aired during the Superbowl.

On Running SOFT WINS Campaign

On Running, takes a softer approach, tapping into a rising movement that values mental health, balance, and inclusivity. See if you can spot the difference compared to the Nike ad.

Breakdown

• Features Sesame Street’s Elmo and a group of everyday runners to promote a kinder, gentler approach to sports.

• Encourages athletes to embrace self-compassion rather than relentless self-criticism, punishment, and sacrifice.

• Aligns with a European vision of well-being, balance, and collective care.

Analysis

This campaign taps into a shift in sports marketing. People are doing sports because they want to connect with others, to feel good in their bodies, to enjoy themselves. Personal best used to be associated with a new record in your sport. Now a personal best has expanded to enjoying the best of the moment without the pressure to be the best. Fun replaces fast.

This aligns with a more European-style philosophy (On Running is a Swiss company), where well-being and collective support are prioritized over relentless self-improvement. It reflects a shift away from the pursuit of glory at all costs, and instead makes space for participation over perfection. Contrary to the Nike ad, it makes no sweeping societal claims or calls to action. The focus is simply on enjoying sport and the community.

Thoughts from a Former Elite Athlete

As someone who spent time at the pointy end of average in American bike racing, I feel the SOFT WINS campaign resonates deeper with more people. I still consider myself a competitive person (can’t see to turn that off), but campaigns that make demands of consumers should be aware of the noisy context they do it. Part of the reason I left racing was just too much pressure to perform.

Ads that place even more demand on people run the risk of being ineffective. This is why ads like SOFT WINS are gaining so much traction and receiving such good feedback. People want to feel like a brand is putting the bar where they are, not where the brand thinks people should come up to—they may not have the energy right now no matter how worthy the cause.

San Rafael Crit 2019 and Sedona mountain biking 2024

Where We’re Headed: The Future of Sports Marketing

Brands shape culture, but they also respond to it. The rise of wellness-oriented campaigns suggests that audiences—particularly younger consumers—are rejecting the idea of sacrifice in sports. Instead, they are looking for stories that reflect their own priorities: balance, inclusion, and sustainability. Run clubs are one of the fastest growing fitness phenomena at the moment, for example. These are spaces where people are free to push themselves however they want—even if that means just turning up.

This shift in sports culture doesn’t undercut the power of Nike’s ad and broader brand storytelling efforts, but it speaks to an audience that may be shrinking or tired. This type of narrative is being layered on an already weary Western psyche that may lack capacity.

The future of sports marketing will likely be a blend—acknowledging struggle and ambition in sport while positioning wellbeing campaigns as the antidote to relentless stress and, eventually, trauma.

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

• On Running’s SOFT WINS and Nike’s So Win campaigns represent two competing visions of success in sports and life: one rooted in self-compassion, the other in relentless drive.

• These marketing narratives reflect broader societal values—American individualism vs. European-style collective care.

• The rise of campaigns prioritizing well-being suggests a cultural shift toward sustainability, balance, and inclusivity in sports.

Both of these are great campaigns. While Nike’s So Win resonates and sticks with me personally more than On Running’s SOFT WINS, I think consumers are going to sympathize more with the direction On Running and other brands that take a similar approach are headed.

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