W+K Shanghai launches the next phase of Nike’s ‘just do it’ campaign with ‘the next wave’ film
This year’s Olympics closed with a simple, yet profound truth; that every athlete, no matter how famous or how experienced, shares the same spirit–the willingness to get out there and try something for themselves because success has no roadmap. You have to “Just Do It.”
Leveraging the energy and conversations surrounding China’s performance at the Rio Olympics, Nike China unleashed “The Next Wave” – an anthem film to kick off “Just Do It” campaign by W+K Shanghai.
The idea isn’t about telling the next generation of Chinese youth what to do, but celebrating the irreverence, spontaneity, positivity, and potential.
They are a generation uninhibited by old traditions.
They are free to choose their own path for the first time in history.
They are the momentous force preparing to wash over the world.
“We named the film “The Next Wave” because it’s the perfect metaphor for the youthfulness, optimism and infectious energy of the new generation that’s coming at you at a thousand miles an hour” says Terence Leong, Creative Director at W+K Shanghai.
The film takes viewers on a nonstop journey from a small trickle to an unstoppable wave made up of the next-generation of Chinese athletes. We even pass a few familiar faces and voices along the way, like Liu Xiang (retired national hurdler), LiNa (retired national tennis player) , Mr Sun (senior marathon runner) and Selina (Encouraging singer from Taiwan). “We shot this film in a single take style and it took a lot of long shots with very complicated choreography to pull it off. That meant we had every day athletes playing side by side with famous athletes, balls flying everywhere, people crashing into each other, it was near chaos at times. But in the end we combined all of their energy into one infectious massive wave of sport,” said Shaun Sundholm, Creative Director at W+K Shanghai.
“Growing up in China, I was surrounded by people who simply used the English words “Just Do It” as a punchline without knowing what it really means. It’s great that in this campaign, the provocative voice-over lines help to define what it is, by saying what it isn’t,” said Dino Xu, Business Director at W+K Shanghai.
The rest of the campaign will include short film content, billboards, on-the-ground activations, and some digital engagement surprises to inspire the new generation not to overthink it, but “Just Do It.”
1 Comment
This is average compared to what other WK offices had done for the brand. It’s not a fresh idea either. How long has it been since OK GO came on to the scene is how old this idea feels like.