Within Nike’s communication landscape, the campaign titled Above the Influence, directed by creative Pablo Rochat, takes a completely different direction: one rooted in absurdity and irony.
Created for Nike Sportswear and tied to the Air Max line, the campaign builds a series of surreal situations in which the protagonists seem to challenge gravity, balance, and above all common sense. A boy walking on a cement mixer as if it were a treadmill, another balancing on top of a streetlight pole. In short, bizarre moments pushed to the extreme: every scene is designed to appear simple and at the same time vaguely unexplainable. It is a campaign that overturns expectations, capable of captivating viewers through an astonishing mix of elements that, together, clash and work in unison.
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This campaign is therefore consistent with Pablo Rochat’s creative research, known for a minimal and conceptual approach built on essential visual gags and a dry sense of humor. The images do not explain or tell a linear story, but instead function as small visual short circuits. The viewer is faced with something familiar yet, at the same time, impossible, forcing them to stop, observe, and reconsider what they are looking at.
Above the Influence therefore becomes more than just a slogan. The scenes transform the concept of absurdity into something that feels like it could actually happen. Being above the influence means standing above expectations, above what usually guides what is trending or what is considered right or wrong. A message that perfectly aligns with Nike’s imagery, which, while clean and constantly evolving, is communicated here through a much more subtle and contemporary language.
Alongside these shots, additional installations also appear on Pablo Rochat’s profile, following the same spirit. Moving sculptures, static structures, and equally absurd scenes captured by the creative’s team — with an almost backstage-like aesthetic — further expand the visual universe of the campaign.
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The campaign also stands out for its use of practical effects with an almost documentary-like feel. There is no excessive spectacle, nor obvious digital effects: everything appears real. This choice strengthens the impact of the images, making the situations even stranger and certainly memorable.
By entrusting the direction of Above the Influence to Pablo Rochat, Nike Sportswear once again demonstrates its willingness to explore unconventional creative languages, collaborating with directors and creatives with a strong visual identity.
The result is an essential, contemporary, and immediately recognizable piece of communication that is hard to forget. A campaign that doesn’t aim to over-explain, but instead leaves a lasting impression through its ability to be simple, strange, and impossible to ignore.
Read also: Nike Air Works imagines the future of Air Max through eight designers from around the world
