WhatsApp worked with National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo on a short film titled ‘Naija Odyssey’ which explores the importance of international communication connectivity and how WhatsApp has enabled the Greek/Nigerian hoops hero to reach his athletic potential abroad ‘while remaining true to his roots’.
The four-chapter short is narrated by Antetokounmpo and his mother. It was directed by Nono Ayuso and Rodrigo Inada and it is a loose interpretation of epic Greek poem ‘The Odyssey’.
Teased from 14 September, Naija Odyssey debuted in multiple markets on Amazon Prime Video on 21 September.
“The Greek Freak. That’s not me, that's not all of me.”
Naija Odyssey x The cross-culture story of Giannis by WhatsApp.
Stream Sept 21 | @PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/NtSZ6ZarLQ— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) September 14, 2022
Starting tomorrow, watch @Giannis_an34 in Naija Odyssey. An origin story of many origins. Told in his own words x
Sept 21 on @PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/lhqkG7fJrB
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) September 20, 2022
Naija Odyssey.
Across worlds.
Across cultures.
Across identities.The cross-culture story of Giannis.
Streaming Sept 21 on @PrimeVideo
x pic.twitter.com/hEVk04FHHf— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) September 16, 2022
I've been holding this joke back for a while My new film with @WhatsApp, Naija Odyssey, drops tomorrow. #WhatsAppPartner pic.twitter.com/0sm6hc3VOQ
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) September 20, 2022
A supporting strand of the campaign saw WhatsApp and Antetokounmpo release an in-application sticker pack designed by Nigerian illustrator and product designer Mario Nomso as an extension of the ‘There’s No One Like Us’ narrative which showcases the breadth of expressions people share in close relationships.
Naija Odyssey was created and produced by independent New York creative agency Translation and edited by Academy Award winner Mikkel EG Nielsen and Alex H Liu.
WhatsApp Head of Marketing Vivian Odior commented: “Naija Odyssey is a story that reinforces how WhatsApp helps us embrace our multifaceted lives. In navigating relationships, identity and even adversity, WhatsApp is there—enabling you to embrace all sides of you by connecting you to those who matter most. We can’t wait to share it with the billions of people around the world who have been similarly impacted, enabled and empowered by WhatsApp.”
Antetokounmpo added: “As a Nigerian born and raised in Greece and currently living in the U.S., I have always felt both a strong connection and a longing distance to each part of who I am and where I have come from. Using WhatsApp to stay connected to my family while abroad has been pivotal to furthering my understanding of who I am no matter where I am, and I know that’s a sentiment many can relate to. I’m proud of what we have created with Naija Odyssey, and I hope that it’s a story many around the world can find themselves, and their journeys, reflected in.”
While Translation Chief Creative Officer Jason Campbell said in a campaign launch statement: “Our work with WhatsApp and Giannis Antetokounmpo was a perfect storm opportunity. You had an elite athlete at the pinnacle of his career, a brand in complete sync with his journey as a global citizen and storytellers who understood the cultural impact this intersection could have. As a creative agency, we were determined to make something that would connect with the universal experience of identity—and specifically, multiple identities. The multicultural experience, its complexities, its tensions, its joys are universal—but not often visited in storytelling. As a brand that connects so many diasporic communities worldwide, WhatsApp was the right partner to spearhead this story, with this player, at this moment.”
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The Milwaukee Bucks power forward became WhatsApp’s first-ever global brand partner at the NBA All-Star Game in February 2022 and promoted the tie-up through a campaign based around a customised ‘234 Hoodie’: 234 being the international dialling code for Nigeria – his family’s homeland.
The initiative kicked off at the NBA All-Game when Antetokounmpo walked down the players tunnel wearing the custom hoodie designed by Post Imperial. The corduroy chenille hoodie featured Antetokounmpo’s jersey number 34 converted to +234 and on the back featured his traditional family name Adetokunbo: a fashion-linked stunt designed as a nod to the type of connections fostered by the Meta-owned messaging app.
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