Late September saw sportswear behemoth Nike step into a new space with its first dedicated eSports ad with League of Legends (LoL) players tackling a futuristic training camp.
The Portland’s based brand’s ‘Next Level Training Camp’ spot led a China campaign created by Wieden + Kennedy Shanghai and featuring a team of players embarking on a trip to an intense LOL training venue built and hosted by one of the game’s living legends UZI in giant hologram form.
At the camp the players are put their paces and focus on strengthening their bodies and minds to take their game to the next level. The ad is also a form of personal message from Nike eSports ambassador Uzi, who retired earlier this year at the age of 23 due to complications for diabetes and chronic joint injuries.
Launched as the 2020 League of Legends World Championship gets under way in Shanghai, the ad, features hyperkinetic camera shots and plenty of VFX.
It shows a group of Chinese professional players from the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) and focuses on mental and physical health featuring players not only physically training, but also sleeping and eating fruit as they seek the mental stability that leads to eSports success.
“Our goal is to inspire gamers with an entertaining film from start to finish,” said Wieden + Kennedy Shanghai Creative Director Jeff Fang. “We don’t want to preach, most people don’t like being told ‘exercise’ . But the players are incredibly competitive. The best players work 16 hours a day, six days a week, which can greatly affect their body. We believe that strengthening their bodies and minds can help them take their game to the next level. ”
“Gamers are incredibly competitive. Top players put in 16-hour days, six days a week—which can take a massive toll on their body. We believe strengthening their bodies and minds can help take their game to the next level,” added Fang. “It’s not just about strengthening the body. Both sport and working out build mental strength too. The same discipline that helps you grind out a 10k can help you grind out a marathon gaming session.”
The campaign was created for Nike Vice President of Marketing Greater China Steve Tsoi, Senior Creative Director Nike Greater China Simon Lee, Senior Brand Communications Director Nike Greater China Che Lin, Brand Communications Strategist Nike Greater China Jimmy Chen, Art Director Nike Greater China Diana Tang, Music Licensing Manager JT Griffith and Designer Nike Greater China Ryan Luo by W+K Shanghai.
The agency team included ECDs Ian Toombs and Vivian Yong, Creative Directors Jeff Fang and Matt Meszaros, Copywriters/Art Directors Gem Xu, Jing Qiu and Josh King, with Producer Raymond Lau, Account Team Members Chuck Xu, Xueer Ren and Elaine Weng, Head Of Strategy Planning Renee Zhang, Senior Planner Chris Kirkup, Junior Planner Bart An and Business Affairs Manager Jessica Deng.
The production company was Loft Films with Director Adam Lau, DP Allen Lv and Executive Producer Geok Lem, with VFX handled by MPC.
Comment:
A high-octane, energy-crackling spot, helmed by The Loft Films director Ada Lau, which fizzes with energy and offers plenty of upbeat Nike style inspiration and entertainment.
The balanced training creative approach is an attempt to balance Nike’s messaging as a brand which doesn’t sell gaming accessories or equipment, but athletic gear which is typically suited to bodies in motion.
The ad follows on from Nike’s February 2019 official association with the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) which saw it become the official supplier of footwear and clothing for the main online gaming league in China. An announcement which was accompanied by a documentary which was also fronted by Uzi (then an active professional, but now retired citing health issues at the age of just 23).
Despite this deal, Nike’s place in the wider eSports space remains somewhat unclear – despite a scattering of tie-ups such as with FURIA (in Brazil), NEO (in France), T1 Entertainment & Sports (in South Korea) and League of Legends Pro League (in China).
Whilst the brand’s ‘if you have a body, then you are an athlete’ stance wraps its arms around eSports comfortably, some might feel Nike’s move into the gaming world is both a stretch and a move that has come too late.
At Activative we think, despite the explosion in the space over recent years (a recent WARC report estimated advertising and sponsorship investment in eSports is now worth of $844m, while in 2019 100m people watched the League of Legends World Championship), too much of its advertising and leverage creative thus far has been blandly unremarkable. So we welcome the arrival of world sports’ most consistent outstanding creative powerhouse.
Some may feel the move is long overdue, others might take the view that unless you have something powerful and meaningful to add to a space its best to stay silent.
We’ll let you, the Millennials and Gen Zs decide whether Nike has chosen the right time and the right creative to make its big entrance.
Links:
Nike
https://www.nike.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/nike
https://www.instagram.com/nike/
https://twitter.com/nike
https://www.facebook.com/nike
W+K Shanghai
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