Nike’s Electrifying Women’s World Cup Ad Celebrates the Soccer Stars of Today and Tomorrow
The Women’s World Cup starts this week as the host country, France, opens the tournament against South Korea in Paris. Nike is not an official sponsor (that honor goes to Adidas), yet the brand has made its usual splash leading up to the tournament with a breathtaking and inspiring ad featuring some of the sport’s global stars.
While most Americans may be familiar with the likes of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, the three-minute anthem from Wieden + Kennedy Portland continues the brand’s “Dream Crazy” positioning (the title of the spot is “Dream Further”) and features a slew of top athletes from other Nike-sponsored soccer federations that more fans will get to know during the tournament.
Opening in the stadium tunnel before a match between the Netherlands and Nigeria, the ad introduces us to 10-year-old California soccer player Makena Cooke, who is led to the field by Dutch phenom Lieke Martens, only to be told that she’s “not done” when the ceremonial introduction is over. From there, Cooke hangs on for a wild ride of scenarios (set to the upbeat song “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts) where, most of the time, she’s running hand-in-hand with the players as a metaphor for how the current crop of stars will lead the next generation into the future.
Like many Nike soccer ads of this type, the feel is cinematic, and there are plenty of cameos including former England captain Alex Scott in the role of FC Barcelona’s men’s team manager, with Cooke on the sidelines helping coach players Philippe Coutinho and Gerard Piqué.
The inspiring ending of the ad—somewhat ironically—pits Cooke against the defending champion U.S. Women’s National Team and forward Crystal Dunn, as the younger player serves Australian mega-star Sam Kerr up with a perfect assist for a goal. While the spot is certainly an exciting and pointed celebration of the sport and tournament, it’s great to see so many players that may not be household names in this country get a bigger spotlight.
The brand is also promoting its limited-edition “Dream Further” jerseys, the first-ever kids soccer shirt created specifically for girls that, as part of its design, includes the powerful mantra: “Don’t change your dream. Change the world.”
Stars in the “Dream Further” spot include:
Sam Kerr, Forward (Australia)
Andressa Alves, Forward (Brasil)
Neymar Jr., Forward (Brasil)
Philippe Coutinho, Midfielder (Brasil)
Wang Shuang, Midfielder (China)
Fran Kirby, Forward (England)
Amandine Henry, Midfielder (France)
Grace Geyoro, Midfielder (France)
Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France)
Sara Däbritz, Midfielder (Germany)
Lieke Martens, Midfielder (Netherlands)
Daniëlle van de Donk, Midfielder (Netherlands)
Asisat Oshoala, Forward (Nigeria)
Ji So-Yun, Midfielder (South Korea)
Gerard Piqué, Defender (Spain)
Crystal Dunn, Forward (United States)
CREDITS:
Client: Nike
Campaign: “Dream Further”
Client Contact: Steph Derham + Andy Whiteside
Executive Creative Directors: Eric Baldwin, Jason Bagley
Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’Rourke
Art Directors: Emma Barnett, Pedro Izique
Copywriter: Josh Bogdan
Art Director – Social: Naoki Ga
Copywriter – Social: Gus Solis
Head of Production: Matt Hunnicutt
Executive Producers: Jake Grand, Krystle Mortimore
Lead Producer: Katie McCain
Integrated Producer: Bob Guerrero
Producer: Amy Leach
Associate Producer: Candice Harbour
Production Coordinator: Shani Storey
Brand Management: Andre Gustavo, Kate Rutkowski, Steve Smith, Paanii Annan
Strategy: Andy Lindblade, Nathan Goldberg
Media Comms: Daniel Sheniak, Emily Graham, Stephanie Campbell
Sr. Business Affairs Manager: Maureen Doyle
Traffic: Maggie Harasyn, Sabrina Reddy
Executive Design Producer: Alicia Kuna
Design Producer: Michael Rosenau
Studio Designers: Jim Ward, Mitch Wilson
Retouching: Frazer Goodbody, Kyle Pero, Amy Ellars
Creative Operations Manager: Saba Spencer
Copyediting: James Yu
Production Company
Production Company: PRETTYBIRD
Director: Francois Rousselet
DP: Matias Boucard
Vice President, Executive Producer: Ali Brown
EP/Supervising Producer: Suzanne Hargrove
Director of Production: Tracy Hauser
Line Producer: Julie Sawyer
Production Designer: Nora Takacs (US), Laura Sabat (Barcelona)
via DMT.NEWS, Doug Zanger, Khareem Sudlow
