The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2010–2011
Nike's 'Write the Future' — one kick's ripple, 12M daily views, Film Grand Prix
W+K's three-minute World Cup film shows futures turning on one moment — 12M views a day, Facebook fans tripled, Cannes 2011 Film Grand Prix.
Nike · Wieden+Kennedy
What it had to solve
Adidas was the official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, so Nike had no official presence at the tournament. Nike Football needed to own the global conversation anyway, and the media budget sat mainly in digital.
How it works
For the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the official sponsor was Adidas — Nike had no stadium, no broadcast signage, no official role. Wieden+Kennedy's answer was to make the moment bigger than the event: a three-minute film, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, in which one touch of the ball rewrites the futures of the world's best players.
The film follows Drogba, Cannavaro, Rooney, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Ribéry and others through alternate realities — a goal turns Cannavaro into a pop icon, a misplaced pass leaves Rooney in a caravan park — with cameos from Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant and Homer Simpson. Written by W+K London's Stuart Harkness and Freddie Powell, it was built on a remix of Focus's 'Hocus Pocus' and packed with details meant to reward repeat viewing.
It premiered online in mid-May 2010, then aired during the Champions League final in 32 countries. Times Live reported over 6 million YouTube views within days; W+K later wrote that the film was watched 12 million times in a single day at its peak, and Nike Football's Facebook fans tripled from 1.1 million to 3.1 million. Fan-focused executions rolled out through June.
The campaign had just missed Cannes 2010's submission deadline, so it swept the next festival: at Cannes Lions 2011 it took the Film Grand Prix, a Cyber Gold, Integrated Silver and two Film Craft Golds, while W+K was named Independent Agency of the Year.
Why it lands
- It turned a brand with no official tournament presence into the story of the tournament itself.
- The film was engineered for repeat viewing — dense details, cameos and layered futures — so re-watching and sharing became the campaign's distribution.
- Premiering online first made the audience, not broadcast TV, the launch platform; 12 million views in one day showed the media plan worked.
- Interactive executions let the audience 'write their own future', extending the film's premise beyond the three minutes.
What it did
Times Live reported over 6 million YouTube views within days of launch; W+K says the film hit 12 million views in a single day at its peak and Nike Football's Facebook fans tripled from 1.1M to 3.1M. At Cannes 2011 it won the Film Grand Prix, a Cyber Gold, Integrated Silver and two Film Craft Golds.
What you can take
When you can't buy the official stage, out-imagine it: build one dense film that rewards replay, put it where the audience already is, and give people a role in the story.
Since then
Additional executions rolled out through June 2010 and the campaign became one of the most-awarded ads of its decade: Cannes Lions 2011 brought the Film Grand Prix, a Cyber Gold, Integrated Silver and two Film Craft Golds, and W+K was named Cannes Independent Agency of the Year. The 12-million-views-in-a-day figure and the Facebook fan growth from 1.1M to 3.1M were widely cited as proof that a global brand campaign could launch on owned and earned media rather than paid TV.
Sources
- wieden + kennedy and nike present 'write the future'
- Future is in the stars
- post-digital or die!
- Wieden + Kennedy at Cannes Lions 2011 – indie agency of the year + results
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