Nike's "Write The Future" Wins Film Grand Prix At Cannes

Nike’s “Write The Future” Wins Film Grand Prix At Cannes

30 June 2011 No Comment

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress Plugin

Nike’s “Write the Future,” a cinematic tour de force from Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam and director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, won the Grand Prix in the Film category at Cannes.

What it is: The three-minute film, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Babel,” “21 Grams”) of Independent Film and Anonymous Content, kicked off Nike’s global World Cup marketing campaign. The narrative depicts dazzling outcomes for soccer elite such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Franck Ribery should they go on to win football’s top prize, as they have monuments built in their honor, babies named after them and guest appearances on “The Simpsons.”

Why it won: “The most difficult brief that comes across a creative’s desk is to create a global film that connects locally, and this one certainly does,” Mr. Granger explained. “It reveals a truth about the brand in a wonderful way and it’s absolutely, meticulously created. There was a lot of really good debate about [Puma and Nike]. Then I asked the jury to watch the two commercials and vote from their heart, and I think this one just connected more emotionally. They’re both absolutely brilliant, but I think one was more emotionally connective. The whole way the movie creates an emotion and leaves you feeling very inspired, pumped up. You feel really good after watching this commercial.

Describe the campaign/entry:

How could Nike dominate the world’s biggest football tournament without being an official sponsor? Our goal was to weave the brand into the conversations around the tournament in a way that celebrated the participating teams and athletes. Every four years, the keys to football heaven are dangled in front of the international elite. One goal, one pass, one game saving tackle can be the difference between fame and forgotten. What happens on the pitch in that split second has a ripple effect that goes beyond the match and the tournament. ‘Write the Future’ was a messaging platform that allowed Nike to show how football creates this ripple effect. It allowed us to give a glimpse into the future to see what the players were really playing for, in their own lives and the lives of those that follow them.

Give some idea of how successful this campaign/entry was with both client and consumer:

During and after the tournament, orders for Nike products increased 7% globally. The Nike Football Facebook page quadrupled from 1.1 to over 4.8 million. It currently has over 12 million fans. There have been 40 million + online views of the film and 2.1 billion online impressions of the campaign. The Lifecentre earned 295,000 unique downloads of the Facebook app and 20 million impressions. During the summer Nike had 30% brand buzz, two times as much as Adidas, helping Nike became the most shared brand online in 2010. “The most successful World Cup in Nike’s history” Mark Parker, Nike CEO.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

By owning the notion of ‘Write The Future’ and showcasing our athletes writing their futures, we engaged our audience in a number of different ways and channels. We ignited the conversation with a 3-minute film, in a unique launch with concurrent takeovers on Facebook, YouTube, Xbox and a live TV broadcast during the Champions League Final. The aim was to disrupt the global blogosphere, and mobilize Nike’s social community for further activity during the tournament. This was amplified through print, retail, OOH and two interactive elements during the event. The. ‘Write The Headline’ Facebook App, which allowed fans to see their own future play out like the film. And the ‘Lifecentre’, an interactive digital billboard in South Africa where fans from around the world could write headlines for their favourite players during the tournament.