Sharapova just did it with Nike ad

New Delhi: Nike's producing a new advertisement and it has tennis sensation Maria Sharapova running, volleying and sleeping through it.

Play hard. Sleep harder. It's a promotional advertisement for Nike's latest shoe and Sharapova, baseball player Yankee Alex Rodriguez and Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin are the new recruits.

"I remember the '97 Air Max was one of my favourites. Ever since, I think this is the best one that I've enjoyed so far. I remember wearing the shoe everyday, this is kind of the follow-up to that," Sharapova said.

Like previous models, the high-end shoes will appeal mainly to hard-core athletes and trend-conscious consumers.

Marshal Cohen, the company's chief industry analyst, says that only 24 per cent of running shoes sold are worn by runners and that just 34 per cent of consumers who buy basketball shoes step onto a court.

The commercial shows the athletes struggling hard to wakeup at daybreak and getting energised only after slipping on their favourite pair of shoes.

Though, the perfect solution would be to wear them before hitting the sack.