Dutch football giant AFC Ajax and official kit supplier Adidas paid homage to Bob Marley with the launch of the team’s third kit in August through a campaign called ‘Don’t Worry About A Thing’.
Most football supporters have adopted a (often random) song for their team which they belt out in unison at big games or celebratory moment – think the England national team and ‘Sweet Caroline’ at Euro 2020 or Liverpool FC and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ – and for Ajax this track is Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’.
The association between the track and the club dates back to a pre-season friendly in Cardiff when the song just happened to be played on the Welsh club’s sound system as the Ajax supporters waited to leave after the game which prompted the away fans to embrace it as their anthem.
The unofficial club anthem and its singer/songwriter are the inspiration behind Ajax’s 2021/22 season third kit: a predominantly back strip which features red, yellow, and green details and three birds below the collar.
A digital, social and PR campaign promoting the new alternative kit launched on 20 August. ‘Don’t Worry About a Thing’ is a tribute to Marley who was a big football fan and it aims to drive viewers to the club and sportswear brand’s online purchasing platforms,
Conceived and developed in collaboration with his family, the campaign is led by a hero spot based around a party where Ajax fans (some wearing the new strip) chill and listen to Three Little Birds as references to Marley and Rastafarian culture play out on screen.
As the spot says: ‘Rise up this mornin’, smile with the rising sun. Introducing our new 21/22 third jersey, inspired by our collective love for @BobMarley and his Three Little Birds.’
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