Maria Sharapova Stars In ‘Here I Am’ Nike Ad
Nike is celebrating female athletes with a new Pan-European campaign entitled “Here I am”, designed to encourage young European women and girls to participate in sports and to develop greater self-confidence and self-empowerment.
In the ‘Here I Am’ campaign Nike shares the unique athlete’s journey towards mental strength gained through sports of famous Russian tennis player and three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova whose critics have unwittingly fueled her success.
And of Swiss triathlete Nicola Spirig who thrives in apocalyptic weather conditions, Italian triple jumper Simona La Mantia who found her strength in what she thought was her greatest weakness, 400M sprinter from the UK Nicola Sanders whose animated body parts show us the age-old struggle between mind and body, French Judoka Delphine Delsalle who defeats a multitude of disapproving opponents yet retains her femininity.
The animated films use a variety of animation styles, from CGI to sketched animations to showcase the inner strengths of the five young female European athletes and tell the story of the individual journeys.
The aim of the slogan and ads is to deliver the message that girls and women should realize the importance of sports, and the positive impact sport can have on their lives.
The idea for the slogan ‘Here I Am’ came out of research commissioned by Nike that found that university-aged women in Europe aren’t as competitive about sports as men. The women also told the researchers that they enjoy the social aspect of exercise and yoga classes, and feel happier when they work out. The new slogan promotes the Her Favourites women’s fashion line.
Nike doesn’t plan any television ads for the campaign. The five animated cartoons, created by Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam, can be viewed online on Nikewomen.com, Facebook, YouTube, Bebo and other social-networking sites popular with young women and on video screens in gyms and university student unions across Europe, including the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Russia.
The campaign also includes a gallery-worthy coffee table book (featuring 22 athletes and their stories of confidence), traditional print ads, exhibitions at flagship Nike stores, digital advertising and posters.
W+K Amsterdam teamed up with production companies Paranoid and Stink Digital to create the five animated films. MindShare is the media agency. SocialMedia8 is responsible for the viral seeding. Tracking the reach of the viral commercials is done with ViralTracker.com
To learn more about the campaign, check Creativity Online’s interview with creative director Mark Bernath (W+K, Amsterdam) about the project.
Sources: WSJ, Brand Republic, The Guardian
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