Broad City alum Ilana Glazer hits the streets with a spirited slice of humor in the new Nike Joyride shoes campaign. Produced by Caviar and directed by Marielle Heller, the three spots were created by New York and Portland-based agency Megs and Shamus, and highlight the shoe’s unique benefits through the eyes of reluctant runner Glazer.
With Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood as the backdrop, Glazer pounds the pavement–or at least considers it–in the campaign, which is playing digitally across Nike’s social channels. With only a couple of hours to capture each spot, together Megs and Shamus and Heller provided Glazer with solid scripts and the freedom to do what she does best–improvising and adding her distinctive Ilana voice to everything.
Keeping things bouncy and fun, Glazer’s quest to track down the meaning of the “runner’s high” is the perfect vehicle for her cheeky sense of humor. In this centerpiece “Runner’s High” spot, Glazer laces up to make the transformation from cautiously curious to Joyride convert.
Megs and Shamus’ non-traditional approach to the creative was steered by the audience they wanted to speak to with these ads–the skeptical and running-averse crowd. With Glazer as the campaign’s muse, the team knew it was possible to nail that ethos and communicate about both the product and running in a candidly honest way.
The Nike Joyride campaign adds to Marielle Heller’s growing presence in the advertising arena, as she continues to make her mark in film and television. Her latest feature, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks as the iconic children’s entertainer Mr. Rogers, will be theatrically released on November 22. Marielle’s debut feature film, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, won awards at the Sundance Film Festival, before getting scooped up by Sony Picture Classics. She also directed the movie Can You Ever Forgive Me?, starring Melissa McCarthy, and has helmed episodes of Transparent and Casual.
