Hasta La Creative!

W+K Portland concluded the Olympics-push portion of its “Unlimited” campaign for Nike with “Unlimited Will,” starring Kyle Maynard, although the brand subsequently released two spots made in collaboration with production company Dirty Robber, “Unlimited Pursuit” and “Unlimited Scout Basset.”

Now W+K turns its attention to Serena Williams ahead of this weekend’s U.S. Open Championship, celebrating the tennis icon’s “Unlimited Greatness” and staking a claim for her as the greatest athlete ever. That claim is sure to spark debate, and while it may seem a bit futile to compare athletes across both sports and eras, Williams has certainly dominated her sport to such a degree that it doesn’t come across as completely ridiculous.

Before getting to that point, W+K Portland communicates how far Williams has come through simple words such as “Compton,” “sister,” “pro,” “#304,” “top ten,” “#1,” “injured,” “comeback” and “legend.” Finally the words “greatest female athlete ever” appear onscreen, before the “female” is erased from that claim. As Adweek points out, that decision was likely inspired by a Wimbledon press conference two months ago when Williams was asked by a reporter how she felt about going down as “one of the greatest female athletes of all time” and responded “I prefer the words ‘one of the greatest athletes of all time.’”

It makes for a pretty powerful moment, as regardless of how dubious any claim to such a title is by its very nature, it effectively communicates that Williams refuses to be defined by her gender. Nike also worked with a variety of athletes, as well as comedian Kevin Hart on a longer video offering words of encouragement to Serena as she prepares to compete at the U.S. Open.

While last Friday’s “Unlimited Will” spot was the final entry in W+K Portland’s contribution to Nike’s “Unlimited” campaign, it appears the brand had one more final effort in the campaign. Nike worked with production company Dirty Robber (who worked on last month’s “Unlimited Serena Williams“) on “Unlimited Pursuit,” which, to its benefit, doesn’t attempt the meta voiceover approach of its W+K-crafted predecessors.

Instead, the spot relies on the actions of its impressive athletes: Scout Bassett, Simone Biles, Elena Delle Donne, Gabby Douglas, Allyson Felix, Dafne Schippers, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, English Gardner, Alex Morgan and Serena Williams. Set to Lissie‘s cover of Kid Cudi‘s “Pursuit of Happiness,” the spot documents each of its athletes in training. Needless to say, these women pull of some impressive feats while preparing for competition, with “Pursuit of Happiness” providing appropriate accompaniment and the actions resonating more absent the schticky voiceover gimmick.

It’s the kind of spot that could only really be pulled off at the conclusion of games, as viewers are now familiar with all these athletes and their stories. The spot functions as a reminder of the kind of hard work and determination that got these impressive athletes to where they are, with no need to deliberate on individual narratives.

Its focus on celebrating women athletes is an admirable one, particularly at a time when the different ways in which female and male athletes are covered is under scrutiny. Plus, Biles’ glance after sticking a perfect landing is a pretty ideal way to conclude the campaign.

Credits:
Nike Creative Director: Tad Greenough
Production Company/Agency: Dirty Robber
Exec Prod: Jason Puris
Exec Prod: Chris Uettwiller
Creative director: Martin Desmond Roe & Nick Frew
Post production Company: Coyote Post
Post production supervisor: Carlos Gonzalez
Editor: Celeste Diamos

Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners launched an extension of its “Defy Labels” campaign for BMW’s Mini ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, which opens this Friday. 

The Olympic push is centered around a broadcast spot featuring Olympians such as Serena Williams, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, rugby player Carlin Isles, weightlifter Morghan King, boxers Carlos Balderas and Claressa Shields, beach volleyball player Jake Gibb and swimmer Cullen Jones. Each of the athletes announces a label they’ve had applied to them reductively, such as “poor,” “black,” “immigrant” “Muslim,” and “cancer patient” (Gibb is a two-time cancer survivor), before Williams concludes, “The only label that matters is Olympian.” 

It’s a nice extension of the larger “Defy Labels” campaign and the different message helps the brand stand apart from the large pack of Olympics spots, most of which had debuts preceding this effort. The mix of Williams’ star power with relatively lesser-known Olympians is a nice touch as well, as is the decision to let Williams deliver the concluding line. A series of online interviews with individual athletes from the broadcast spot rounds out the effort.

“The campaign targets the Mini mind-set,” Tom Noble, head of marketing for the brand, told Adweek. “It’s about people who think independently. Our fans are people who appreciate design and also appreciate individuality. What we do know is that the Olympics indexes highly with our fans. They appreciate sports, and there are a lot of sports during these Games which are unique and different, only coming around every four years, and so this is a good platform to reach our audience.”

“We have a message that is topical if you look at what’s going on in today’s world, and you get a real, authentic view of what people’s struggles are and what they have overcome,” he added. “We believe having a relevant, inspiring message with a topical theme should cut through.” 

Credits:
Client: Mini
Agency: Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
Chief Creative Officer: John Butler
Creative Director: Mark Krajan
Senior Art Director: Sinan Dagli
Senior Copywriter: Luke Zehner
Senior Producer: Lori Pisani
Head of Integrated Production: Adrienne Cummins
Account Director: Danny Peters
Account Supervisor: Michelle Finelli
Business Manager: Nihad Peavler
Director: Matt Baron
Company: All Day Every Day
Editor (TV):Pete Koob
Editor: Christopher Kasper
Editor: Andy Berner
Editorial Company: Cut & Run
Music: Joaby Deal
Music Company: One Union
Color Grading: Shane Reed
Color Grading Company: Apache
Finish: Jogger

Portland, Oregon full service agency Must Be Something launched a celebrity-filled 60-second spot for Nike touting the brand’s Air Zoom Elite 8, entitled “Find Your Fast.”

In a marriage of form and function, the ad, directed by Chappelle Show co-creator Neal Brennan, flies by at a frenetic pace, cutting from one celebrity athlete to the next in its promotion of the fast running shoe. Among the thirteen athletes in the ad are Kobe Bryant, Serena Williams, Wayne Rooney, Rafael Nadal, Richard Sherman, Odell Beckam Jr. and Allyson Felix. In other words, the spot features as many celebrity athletes as it can muster, as quickly as it can. If that’s still not fast enough for you, the ad sandwiches “The World’s Fastest Ad” (with David Blaine and Kobe Bryant) in the middle of the action, complete with a cameo by the epitome of quickness: Roadrunner. As part of the campaign, Nike is calling on viewers to log their fastest-ever mile via the Nike+ community by August 30th.

It’s a good time to make an ad with Serena Williams, and Beats by Dre has done a particularly good job of it. Hot off the tennis star’s sixth U.S. Open win, her 18th major victory overall, the headphone brand is spotlighting the gym routine that helps her get so much crushing power on the court.

It would be standard-fare fitness footage if not for the fact that it continues Beats by Dre’s habit of creating ads that feel more like exceptionally shot, psychologically rich sports-themed music videos rather than commercials.

In this case, the clip (from R/GA’s London and Los Angeles offices) weaves in flashbacks to Williams’s childhood in Compton, Calif., as she pushes through her workout, while the song “Black Unicorn” by 2 Chainz featuring Sunni Patterson plays.

The track is a spectacular match, with beautiful lyrics about struggle and success. And that goes a long way to making the spot feel greater than the sum of its parts—packed with a inspiring storyline about an athlete at the top of her game, rewarding to listen to and watch—even if it is also loaded with product shots that demonstrate the value proposition.

La marque Nike dévoile sa nouvelle campagne publicitaire intitulée Possibilities, axée sur la capacité à repousser ses limites et à se dépasser. Le casting est hallucinant : Serena Williams, LeBron James, Gerard Piqué ou encore Bradley Cooper qui narre la vidéo. Encore une superbe campagne à découvrir dans l’article.

Tennis sensation Serena Williams in cooperation with Gatorade G2 selected the individual who will appear alongside Williams in the Everyday Athletes Campaign. And the lucky winner was no other than Serene Cuevas of San Diego.

Emceed by Access Hollywood host and upcoming Dancing with the Stars competitor, Nancy O’Dell, The G2 Everyday Athlete Search featured five semi-finalists — all named Serena — who traveled to the event from around the country to discuss their personal stories of how sports and exercise have helped them overcome a challenge or allowed them to reach and accomplish a significant, personal goal.

Cuevas will appear with Serena Williams in the national ad campaign beginning this spring that will help draw attention to the Gatorade brand’s broadened definition of what it means to be an athlete. If your body is moving, Gatorade considers you an athlete. In addition to Serena Williams, G2 is also unveiling three more “everyday athlete” ads, featuring the NBA’s Kevin Garnett, WNBA’s Candace Parker, and Gold Medal Beach Volleyball star Kerri Walsh with their “everyday athlete” counterparts. Others are invited to share their own “everyday athlete” stories at missionG.com, the new sports and entertainment portal for Gatorade.

(Source) Press