Awaken Your Madness... A Universal Message šÆ
This week we're looking at Nike's latest football masterpiece + a trip down nostalgia lane to identify a theme tying my favourite Nike Ads together.
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The best Nike Ads know how to communicate a universal message. This one is no different and allows the global football community to connect with the theme.
Awaken Your Madness documents the journeys of the future of Nike football. The video starts off with Mbappe, Haaland and Vini Jr, all going back to the place where it started. Haaland dribbling through the Scandinavian forest, Vini Jr doing kick ups in the streets of Brazil and Mbappe kicking the ball against his bedroom wall. The Mbappe scene hits. Weāve all seen his iconic bedroom pose with the Cristiano Ronaldo posters.
Thereās a sinister backing audio which brings the madness to life. āThereās something wrong with youā on loop, emphasising the madness we all strive for when playing football. We all play football trying to score that screamer, pull off the mad pass or the fancy skill move. The success rate of our āmadnessā compared to Nikeās trio isnāt closeā¦ but the madness is in all of us. š¤
Nike have an incredible skill in capturing the essence of playing football. At a core, grassroots level. They understand the feelings involved and communicate it to the global football community.
Iām going to take a trip down nostalgia lane to apply this insight of āa universal messageā to some of my favourite Nike adsā¦ Starting off with the iconic 2006 Joga Bonito ad. š®āšØ
Playing with a smile, kick-ups in the changing room, the nutmegā¦ this is Joga Bonito. š¤ The beautiful game. These elements are once again a universal language in football. The iconic fridge trick shot. Most kids have attempted this many times in their household. Whether itās hitting the ball into a fridge, washing machine or a bin. Weāve all tried, failed and broken household items in the journey for that epic trick shot. šÆ
Ronaldinho with the classic āYou Reach, I Teachā moment where he baits the ref into going for the ball. Another staple of football weāve all experienced.
If you have had a ball at your feet whilst strolling the streets, you would have been tempted to serve the nutmeg to a pedestrian. If you pull it off, the reaction is the dopamine we crave. As SE Dons will now demonstrate below.
Within Joga Bonito, Nike once again captured moments every baller feels. The 2006 Brazil team was full of superstars. Yet this āJoga Bonitoā feeling was experienced by us all. Nike understand football is a universal language. Their messages transcend.
Lets fast forward to 2014, where Nike dropped the iconic āWinner Stays Onā ad.
It starts at the local park, with a game between friends. With the winning team staying on the field - winner stays on. A universal language everyone will understand.
One of the cast proclaims āif winner stays on, guess Iām Cristiano Ronaldo thenā. As the video progresses, the friends evolve into the professional players. Ronaldo, Hazard and co appear on the field and recreate their famed movements. When playing football with our mates weāve all idolised our favourite players and mimicked them. We try to pull off a āRonaldo Chopā or a āDinho flip, flapā.
These universal moments allow Nike to communicate stories that connect with a global football audience. This universal message combined with bravery makes āAwaken Your Madnessā a winner. š
BE BOLD. BE BRAVE
The sinister backing audio combined with the scary elements are a serious combination. āAwaken Your Madnessā pushes the boundaries for a football ad. Itās true to the theme of madness. Haaland squeezing the heart pumping with blood, Mbappeās evil screams on the abandoned pitch. It could easily be a scene from Arkham City. Itās a nod to 1996 and the Good vs Evil days.
The Adidas Football Anthem Film and āHey Judeā videos were nice. But they didnāt land for me. They also felt a bit safe, especially in comparison to this madness Nike were cooking. Despite being born and raised in England, I couldnāt relate to the elements in the āHey Judeā video. Whereas, the āAwaken Your Madnessā is a universal message that transcends. This is why Nike have won the battle this Euros. 1-0 Nike.
I hope if Nike donāt want to bring back T90, that they build out āAwaken Your Madnessā. This concept disrupts the current statistics heavy nature of football. It gives Gen Z and Alpha a new world to play in. It takes the game back to its roots. It inspires the viewers to bring their madness to the field. It brings the feeling backkkā¼ļø š©
1-0 Nike. š
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