After all, he’s a sampler at heart

DJ Khaled mastered sampling in his platinum-selling music career, trying out various sounds and styles to create tracks with mass appeal. He embodies a similar approach in ads for Sun & Sand Sports, a leading athletic apparel and equipment retailer across the Middle East.

“Give everything a chance. Don’t limit yourself,” Khaled advises, preferring to dabble or remain a spectator at golf, yoga, canoeing, snorkeling and sky-diving. In a :90, he shares screen time with a cute goat and fantastical seahorses, but such elements don’t overwhelm the narrative.

Ultimately, DJ will “commit to nothing,” and the spot leans into comedy driven by its star’s personality:

“For decades, the prevailing sports narrative has been about the hustle of the game, accompanied by high fitness standards,” says Martin Rose, a CD at Mother London, which developed the campaign. “With this, we’re applauding fun, celebrating the joys of not being the best and embracing the uncommitted.”

He adds: “These days anything can be a sport, even a TikTok trend. DJ Khaled captures the spirit of a new generation, not as an athlete but as a lover of the pure joy of sports.”

Khaled’s ample charisma sells the concept; why bother breaking a sweat?

Directed by Dave Meyers, the work unfolds like a playful, rollicking riff on themes explored by Nike and P&G, among others. Such brands have crafted campaigns emphasizing the transcendent fun of movement and competition (with no overexertion or humiliating defeats required).