By now, you may be one of the millions of viewers who have watched Nike's "Winner Stays" commercial on Facebook, YouTube and elsewhere. The spot, which went live on April 25, had 78 million views in its first four days online. Total views have reportedly exceeded 100 million.
The success of the spot, which began airing on television on April 29, is part of the reason that Nike has shifted more of its advertising dollars away from TV to social media and other sites. The commercial is a key element of the brand's World Cup marketing efforts.
"We're almost at a point where it's hard to calculate what is on television versus what's on the Web," Trevor Edwards, Nike's brand president, said at an event in Madrid in April, according to Bloomberg News.
![[Image: Winner Stays]](/public/images/discussions/17562/nike-still.jpg)
Part of the success of the new Nike spot was not only that it starred Brazilian and Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, but that he tweeted the long-form commercial to his 26 million followers on Twitter.
The Nike spot has received favorable reviews from soccer fans and the media alike. Jeremy Stahl, senior editor of Slate, called "Winner Stays" a "frenetic, goofy, thrilling short movie" and his "favorite World Cup spot."