PUEBLO, Colo. ― Nike's new ad campaign "Just do it ― Possibilities," not only features some of the country's most recognizable athletes, it also includes the Professional Bull Riders' rising star Jory Markiss.
In a 90-second spot that launched in markets around the world in
North America, Europe, China and Japan, Markiss can be seen riding
a bike, a mechanical "thing", a tough bull and …. you have to see
it to believe it:
"It is a fantastic endorsement for one of the most recognized brands in sport to include a PBR bull rider in an epic TV campaign. It is a true testament to how far we've come from the dream hatched by 20 bull riders in a hotel room 20 years ago," said Sean Gleason, COO of the PBR.
The commercial comes on the heels of other mainstream nods, such as fellow PBR bull rider Douglas Duncan's feature spot for Hardee's Texas Toast Breakfast Sandwich, ESPN the Magazine's Body Issue feature on PBR World Champion Bull Bushwacker, "CBS This Morning's" feature on the bulls of the PBR; Forbes SportsMoney declaring the PBR as "America's Fastest Growing Sport"; and New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks's decision to place a PBR cowboy on the cover of a special paperback edition of his latest book, "The Longest Ride."
Markiss (@JMarkiss, www.jorymarkiss.com) was recently named one of 12 finalists in the PBR's Sexiest Cowboy contest that will determine which PBR bull rider appears on the cover of Sparks's special edition paperback. He is also one of the elite Top 35 bull riders in the world who compete on the 2013 PBR Built Ford Tough Series which airs weekly on CBS and CBS Sports Network during its season.
This week the Built Ford Tough Series travels to Oakland, Calif., Sept. 6-7, for the Ariat Invitational presented by Cooper Tires. It's the 21st of 26 stops before the season-culminating PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas Oct. 23-27.