by Theda Braddock
LONDON – If there’s any way to boost the younger audience of the Olympics, Nike has found it. Entertaining, fierce and complex, Wieden+Kennedy London’s new spot, “Nothing Beats a Londoner” stands out among others offered by other sports brands. The 3-minute film explores a more unfamiliar, grittier side of London, portraying it as an urban environment serving as a playground for young athletes.
Composed of a series of eccentric vignettes, the film focuses on young Londoners and uses sports and music stars who grumble about their training as they try to one-up each other. But the film’s charm comes from its absurd scenarios, swift transitions, erratic camera angles and diverse soundtrack, a cleverly composed mishmash of genres. The featured athletes were each given their own scene in a standalone context, which they posted on social media.
Nike is no stranger to the urban generation, recently co-producing “Concrete Football”, a documentary about street soccer, with Parisian agency Yard. Their investments in outreach programs for renovating youth gyms, sports fields and basketball courts, indicates they understand this up-and-coming generation and how they play.
“Nothing beats nothing”, says Nike. These days, it seems, nothing beats Nike.
