One of my favorite books is “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight. Described as “A memoir by the creator of NIKE,” the story of this iconic company is one that is greatly admired and appreciated. We’ve all heard of the name and can recognize the infamous logo, but, what about “The Voice of Nike?” Nike doesn’t really have a specific voice actor that can be titled as being the official Voice of Nike. However, they do have a certain creative style and swagger about their national advertising campaigns that consistently seek out voice actors under the same “specs” in the audition.
I’ve worked on many Nike projects, from Internal presentations to national ads. Each one is unique. Nike loves to motivate and inspire the “inner athlete” in all of us. Their messages are, in the end, boiled down to – just doing it. Getting out of your comfort zone and challenging yourself to reach your inner greatness. Nike Unlocks was Nike’s way of servicing that great athlete. By introducing a new savvy way for those motivated athletes to customize and re-up on their fresh new gear. To accomplish this, Nike needed a voice that could motivate and convince these already motivated individuals to sign up and use this service. The direction given to me by the director and production team was simple- “stay real and stay cool.”
Voice acting is acting and acting can be real and cool. Authenticity is the key. Nike prides itself on its authenticity. It’s raw nature. To be the voice of Nike, in a national advertising campaign, the voice actor needed to appeal to a highly authentic fan base. The voice actor needed to bring energy and smile without getting cheesy. Subtly works hand in hand with authenticity.
Will I ever be the official voice of Nike? It can only be a sweet dream. But, each opportunity I get to motivate the inner athlete in myself and others- I welcome with open arms. Nike has always motivated me to get out of my comfort zone and work on myself. As a voice actor, I can only live by the infamous tag line that motivates us all- Just Do It!
VO: Kabir Singh
Client: Nike
Director/Producer: Nike.
Agent: Voice Over Agent Oregon
Disclaimer: Digital Asset is owned by Nike. This sample is for Voice Over Actor Commercial Demo purposes only.
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