Nike Launches Branded Web Series To Urge Women To Get In Shape

Nike’s ‘Better For It’ advertising campaign, aimed at women, sings the praises of a regular exercise routine. Now, in a new web series, Better For It has taken a cinematic turn. The sportswear company is behind Margot vs. Lily, which follows two sisters as they look to better themselves.

The titular characters in Margot vs Lily are both in need of change, but they’re seeking very different kinds of fulfillment. Margot is looking to get into the flow of an exercise routine, while Lily, who already runs a fitness channel on YouTube, needs to improve her social life. The result is a series whose two lead characters play off each other with a quick, bouncy chemistry. The premiere episode, currently available on the NikeWomen YouTube channel, puts that chemistry on display:

As Adweek notes, this is the first Nike has put its name in front of a branded web series, and it has enlisted a lot of talented people in order to put together a compelling on-screen product. The agency behind the series, Wieden + Kennedy, is known for creating some of the best-known digital advertising campaigns in the business, including some for Nike. The filmmaker at the helm of Margot vs Lily, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, earned accolades in 2015 for his film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.

For a first-time web series sponsor, Nike has done a great job. The branding in Margot vs Lilly is not particularly in-your-face, but the show’s overarching theme of self-betterment is evident from the start. Seven more episodes will arrive over the coming weeks.