Doechii, the rapper, is cool. First she went viral on TikTok. Then her lewd, braggadocious flow earned her Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammys. By the time Pharrell Williams dressed her in Louis Vuitton at the Met Gala last year, the 27-year-old Florida native embodied all the qualities of an It Girl.

Nike, the sportswear company, is struggling with coolness. Gone are the days when its logo seemed aspirational and innovative. “Is Nike Still Cool?” asked GQ magazine in 2024. The answer seemed to be a resounding “No.” The company’s net income fell for seven quarters in a row, capping a period marked by declining sales, a falling stock price and a chief executive who no one liked.

Last year, Nike hired Doechii for a Super Bowl ad in an apparent bid to recreate the energy that helped make it one of the coolest companies in the world 40 years ago. Over footage of famous female athletes, Doechii invoked the kind of language used to impose limits on women, and urged them to defy it (“‘You can’t dominate’. So dominate….‘You can’t fill a stadium’. So fill that stadium”). It wasn’t a groundbreaking piece of content, but it nonetheless marked a significant moment: Nike hadn’t paid for a Super Bowl spot in 27 years. Returning to the event was one of the first decisions made by the company’s new boss, Elliott Hill—a former Nike marketing executive brought out of retirement in late 2024 to help turn the company around.