UK sports retailer JD Sports launched its 2021 Christmas campaign at the start of November to celebrate the best of British sporting talent through an integrated, international initiative called ‘King Of The Streets’ – a creative extension of its ‘King of Trainers’ positioning.
Developed in harness with creative agency Cake and production house PrettyBird, the objective was not only to drive sales over the festive period but also to compete (with Sport’s Direct and its ‘Get Out’ marketing push) for the status of the UK high street’s number one destination for sports style this Christmas. The campaign also seeks to reflect the ‘authentic role’ JD Sports plays in contemporary youth culture today and reinforce its ‘bold and pioneering spirit’.
Spearheaded by a hero commercial starring a mix of sporting stars, musicians, TV presenters and youth culture icons – including Maya Jama, KSI, plus footballers Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho, Ebe Eze, Kalvin Phillips, Leah Williamson and Trent Alexander-Arnold – the spot also offers a nod to its Mancunian heritage on its 40th anniversary with the ad debuting on television during Sky Sports’ 5 Match coverage of the Premier League clash between Manchester City and Manchester United.
The two-minute ‘JD Street’ TVC, launched on 6 November and set to a soundtrack by Toddla T ft Shaybo, starts with a young protagonist strolling down JD Street on a chilly, quiet, wintery night. As the narrative arc unfolds, what seemed like an ordinary road is lit up by a touch of JD Christmas magic.
In the milkshake parlour (Jammy Donuts: King of Shakes & Cakes) Little Simz is having a casual catch up with Ms Banks, while Manchester’s Aitch and Queen of the South Shaybo serve up Jamaican patties in a West Indian takeaway (Jerk & Dumplings: King of Flava), drill artists Central Cee and Russ Millions hunt for mince pies at the grocery store (Juicy & Delicious: King of Groceries), Maya Jama and Michael Dapaah run a pet grooming salon (Jama & Dapaah: King of Trims) frequented by a host of famous faces seeking a last-minute Christmas trim for their dogs.
Other famous faces starring in the spot include KSI, Tobi Brown, Young T, Bugsey, ArrDee, Joanna Chimonides, Joelah Noble, Jay 1 and Stormzy-approved bike collective BikeStormz (a movement to end violence and knife crime).
Plus, production company Pretty Bird’s diverse crew of talent behind the lens included young trainees hailing from Manchester, Liverpool and London (bringing to life a commitment laid out by the production outfit which prides itself in having due representation behind the camera).
The spot was directed by Salomon Ligthelm through Pretty Bird with executive producer Juliette Larthe. The campaign was created by Cake creative directors Alex Groom and Lex Deasley, with art direction from Alistair Dixon and Tom Falck as agency producer.
The hero TV ad rolled out in parallel with a mockumentary, launched via TikTok and running across JD’s social channels, which takes viewers behind closed doors on ‘JD Street’, as well as a TikTok NOW led ‘Show Us Your JD Street’ customer created challenge.
Wanna' WIN £2000 CASH and a JD VIP experience?!
Head over to TikTok NOW and join the #JDSTREET challenge https://t.co/saNj5IVX4y pic.twitter.com/wzQFu4PuLN
— JD (@JDOfficial) November 6, 2021
@jdofficial Wanna’ WIN £2000 plus an exclusive JD VIP Experience?! Show us your #JDSTREET with our I AM JD Effect!
@jdofficial Trims pendingKing of Trims with @Maya Jama , @michaeldapaah_ & @tobjizzle coming soon to a screen near you
@jdofficial It’s official, our brand new TV AD is liveWho did you spot? Hit the link in bio to watch in full! #JDSTREET
Supporting the video work are OOH and POS strands, as well as a shoppable ad and a JD Sports mobile game (which takes consumers on a journey down ‘JD Street’ where players get a chance to collect points and win prizes from JD Sports).
We getting prepped for @YoungTandBugsey taking over our Stratford store tonight
Keep it ‘d here for their live performance and Q&A #JDYoungTBugsey pic.twitter.com/3RjDNMYMMS
— JD (@JDOfficial) November 7, 2021
“As part of our commitment to elevate youth culture, we’re excited to see our high streets come alive ahead of the festive season. As the number one destination for sports fashion, we’re excited for JD fans to see the new Christmas campaign,” outlined JD Sports Group Marketing Director Nadia Kokni. “In our 40th year, it’s fitting that this campaign features an incredible ‘who’s who’ line-up of talent from the world of sport, music and entertainment that truly represents the people shaping youth culture today.”
Cake Managing Director Rosie Holden added: “As lead agency, appointed to deliver the creative concept, this has been a unique chance to bring together all of Cake’s strengths across culture, sport, music and entertainment. All in, it’s a thoroughly modern Christmas campaign that plays right to the heart of youth culture, just like JD”.
The campaign was briefed by and created for JD Sports Global Group Marketing Director Nadia Kokni by a team at creative agency Cake led by Managing Director Rosie Holden, Global Head Of Production Havas Studios Katie Keith, Creative Directors Alex Groom and Lex Deasley, Art Director Alistair Dixon, Senior Creatives John Ogunmuyiwa and Lewis Oliver, plus Agency Producer Tom Falck, Business Director Izzy Honour, Account Manager Lola Wallis and Talent Director Sophie Berman.
The production team at PrettyBird included Director Salomon Ligthelm, Mockumentary Director Josef Bates, Executive Producer Juliette Larthe and Producer Sorcha Bacon.
Other partners continuing to the marketing push included JD Sports partners Exposure and Mediacom, while Gameloft and Smartzer were the key partners for the interactive game and the shoppable ad respectively.
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.