Nike continued to focus on inspiring youth and championing future generations and positive change with an Olympic-related phase of its ongoing ‘Play New’ platform called ‘Best Day Ever’.
The sportswear giant’s hero Tokyo 2020 film brings to life a dream of what sport in particular and the world in general could be in the future as shaped by the ambitions of a new generation of athletes who will ‘redefine tomorrow’. It highlights the brand’s belief in a creative and inclusive future – one of unlimited possibilities – by showcasing the joy of movement and creativity of play through an Olympic lens.
The anthemic spot, which stars Nike ambassadors Sha’Carri Richardson, Michael Johnson, A’ja Wilson, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Mike Trout, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Sky Brownm Rory McIlroy, Diede de Groot and many other brand endorsers, outlines a hypothetical day in the future of athletics.
The ad’s positive, future-facing approach spans growing a Nike shoe from a seed to a women running a marathon on Mars.
It even takes a sombre turn in tone to highlight respect for athlete mental health in a (likely) nod to endorser Sha’Carri Richardson’s positive THC test and subsequent suspension and Naomi Osaka’s French Open and Wimbledon withdrawal linked to raising the subject of anxiety and depression.
Created by long-time incumbent agency Wieden + Kennedy, the spot offers positive, oddball fun.
Nike will also engage consumers through social via Snapchat AR lenses which enable users to experience and explore different sports through their smartphones. Nike also partnered with Tiktok to support the campaign.
Also supporting the hero commercial, Nike will also share what it describes as ‘compelling and imaginative athlete stories about tomorrow and the future of sport as extensions to the anchor film which will be fronted by ‘what if’ spots:
What if Jamaican track and field star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce becomes the first woman to run 100m in under 10 seconds before her son Zyon counts to 10.
What if, after conquering the court, Dutch wheelchair tennis legend Diede de Groot conquers the gaming world as well with her own video game.
Nike Global Brand Marketing VP Melanie Auguste stated at the campaign launch that: “Play means joy. It represents pure enjoyment and being able to just be free. All kids play. That’s just a natural thing they do. The reason we are encouraging people to ‘Play New,’ is to celebrate that notion of getting back to the joy of discovering and trying something for the first time—the joy of letting loose a little bit.”
Nike Chief Marketing Officer DJ van Hameren added: “I think of sport as a form of education. “You’ll learn how to win, how to lose. But you’ll also learn how to connect. You’ll learn about yourself. You’ll learn what excites you, what interests you—and you’ll do it through multiple stages in life. It may not start with, ‘I’m going to grow as a person because I’m doing this sport,’ but one day you’ll inevitably look back at that experience, and see how you developed through the lessons you learned and the people you connected with. I know that’s true for me.”
Comment:
A rich and visually compelling spot (as always), there are certainly a lot of messages in Nike’s ‘Best Day Ever’ – perhaps too many?
Despite not being an official Games sponsor, this Tokyo 2020 work extends Nike’s ongoing ‘Play New’ brand platform which launched in May and focuses on the ambitions of the next generation of athletes and to build confidence and inspire a new generation to participate in sport with a fresh approach.
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