A new dual branded US campaign called ‘Play It Like You Own It’ from Nike and Dick’s Sporting Goods showcases different kids taking charge of their own training – having fun finding their limits.
The creative, developed by long-time Nike creative agency Wieden+Kennedy, depicts kids reclaiming their respective sports
One scene shows children in batting helmets and baseball gloves sneaking on to a golf driving range and dive and slide as they try and catch speeding golf balls. Another sees a boy and girl kick a football hrough the legs of cows in a tight pen. While lacrosse players use eggs rather than balls and tennis players hit against multiple ball cannons.
The campaign carries a message that somewhere, sometime, sport has become too specialised and standardised.
The proposition is that sport has stopped being about fun and play and has become all about professional work and, in doing so, has lost some of the heart when it comes to kids.
The endline is “Hack it. Break it. Reinvent it. Change your game to change the game. #Owningit”
Launched on 13 July, the spearhead commercial is playing pre-roll at cinemas and digitally on Nike and DSG channels as well as across athlete ambassador handles.
The commercial first aired on broadcast around the ESPYs on 18 July and as well as running across television in the USA, the creative is rolling out across Nike and Dick’s digital and social platforms including YouTube,
Twitter,
Change your game to change the game. Show us how you’re #OwningIt https://t.co/SPrLi3OChO pic.twitter.com/grlLJfDmUd
— DICK'S Sporting Goods (@DICKS) July 13, 2018
and Facebook.
The campaign was developed by W+K Portland by creatives Chris Groom, Antony Goldstein, Ryan O’Rourke and Alberto Ponte, copywriter Guilherme Souza, art director Naoki Ga, creative manager Dona Monroe, head of production Matt Hunnicutt and Mike Davidson, executive producer Molly Tait Tanen, producer Danielle Magee and associate producer: Emily Knight.
Comment:
As in most cases with Nike, the idea and the creative are both inspiring and exhilarating.
But it’s also hard not to put two and two together and wonder whether Nike is part of the reason why sport for kids has lost some of its sense of fun and abandon.
Links:
Nike
https://www.youtube.com/user/nike
https://www.instagram.com/nike/
https://plus.google.com/u/0/111647990267476504720
Wieden + Kennedy Portland
http://www.wk.com/work/from/portland
Dick’s Sporting Goods
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/DicksSportingGoods
https://www.instagram.com/dickssportinggoods/
https://www.facebook.com/dickssportinggoods
