May
9

Want to play the Beautiful Game?

Since the epic Good vs.Evil spot from 1996, Nike has done a great job with its football ads, using stars from around the world to promote it's connection to the beautiful game. My mate James at AMV in London sent me a link to this latest spot, directed by Guy Ritchie, where we are transformed from being mere observers to actually being participants.  While other ads (and movies) have used the "protagonist POV" technique to engage and draw people in, this spot does so in a dramatically effective way - and does a fantastic job of showing first hand how fast, skillful and physical soccer can be. All the big names are there, Ronaldo, Rooney, Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldinho, but you are right in the middle of it, alongside them, rather than just outside looking in.  It's authentic, involving and different.  What do you think? (click the image to play)

This entry was posted on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 9:47 am and is filed under Advertising & Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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4 Responses to “Want to play the Beautiful Game?”

  • Toph Says:
    May 9th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    What do I think? I’ve never played organized soccer and I think I’ve really, really missed out! Loved that spot. The music is great… the athleticism, the humor, the twists. Awesome.

  • amunsell Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am

    Awesome!
    Advertising for the jaded video game generation. I was totally enthralled. 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!

  • loren Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 6:42 am

    I think it is fun, entertaining…and still just advertising. It is just another evolution of Nike’s “find the athlete inside of you” messaging strategy. People expect and deserve more. They want experiences - and room within those experiences to participate. And they want to have relationships with brands that not only make a promise but that share their values and support them in tangible ways at many, connected touch points. Please pop by our Cannes presentation this year on Sunday, June 14, “Building Values Based Experiences - Life After Dove”. Toph, you coming to Cannes this year? Feel free to heckle.

  • toph Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    I’d love to come… You want to buy me a few hands of Hold ‘Em in Monacco too?

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