In Julie's post yesterday, she calls on brands to reject the false and fake and infuse their advertising with authenticity.  I recently saw a great spot from Nike that does just that.   

Admittedly, you may think The Dozen has turned from marketing and innovation blog to a Nike soccer blog – but bear with me for this post – as I think it’s a great lesson in brand authenticity. We all know that Nike can do the big and glossy spots with all the superstars - we even blogged about it a couple weeks ago.  But this new commercial is born from a song that originated on the football terraces at Anfield (Liverpool's storied stadium). Nike took that song, plus the local fans' love for their new striker Fernando Torres and turned it into an Iberian love-fest. I love the ad, but others don't agree, including Scott Murray at the Guardian who upon seeing the spot, wrote the following:

For goodness sake -  that Torres "Liverpool's number nine" [song], has already been appropriated by Nike for an advert. Is there nothing the moneymen won't sully? Can these people never leave things be, even if it's just for a year or two?

I completely disagree. I think it's a true statement of authenticity, when brands are inspired (some might say steal…) from real life like this. Surely that's the only path to authenticity and connection. Sure, there's elements that are fake (I can't really imagine Liverpudlian's swapping fish n' chips for tapas), but the heart of the idea is genuine and real and that's the important difference. I think this idea demonstrates how local fans worship their favorite players wherever they come from and there's no greater form of flattery in football than having a song created for you by the fans.

Here’s the song being sung on the terraces at a Liverpool match via a You Tube clip from someone’s camera phone…and here’s the spot itself.  Judge for yourself. Apparently even the dog walking with Torres in the park at the end is his own.

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)

Bear with me on this one.

My 9 year old daughter is an excellent soccer player. From a very young age, she understood the game. Maybe not the rules, but definitely the game. She plays the field and looks for space, not just the other team. She plays where the ball is going to be, not where it is.

I’ve been thinking about how this idea applies to branding and innovation. Do you understand the rules or the game?

So many companies are playing by the rules. Extending brands and platforms along expected lines. Playing the competition. Understanding narrow consumer needs defined by their categories and “innovating” accordingly.

An example: S.C. Johnson understands the rules. Procter & Gamble understands the game.

SCJ has owned the air freshener category for eons with Glade. The brand has extended in a thoughtful manner to new forms…developed platforms and then expanded on these technologies…contemporized their products each decade or so in expected ways. They played the category.

Procter & Gamble stepped in with Febreze and reshaped the category, taking a big bite out of SCJ along the way. They understood what consumers want, not what they have (or say they need). They invented new categories of solutions…designed packaging and products that entice and intrigue. A newcomer to a mature category, Febreze became the new definition of fresh.

Does your company develop against its brands or the empty spaces? Do you play your competition or the field? Do you use traditional narrow research tools to understand the category you’re in, or do you use expansive tools to understand your consumers in all their complex glory? Do measure your brand’s performance over time or the way people live and how that changes over time? Do you look at dayparts and categories or lives and lifestyles? Category or culture?

Innovation requires seeing what’s not there. You’ve got to take your attention away from the category and the competition and focus on people and how they live. Where is the ball going to be?