Nike's Next Big Campaign Idea:
Pass The Torch Concept
By: Natazshya Rodriguez
Back in 2012, when the world was feverishly cheering on top athletes in the London Olympics, Nike and Wieden + Kennedy pulled an advertising reversal. Instead of featuring the sports industry's latest and greatest athletes and olympians, Nike decided to showcase an atypical persona as the official "celebrity" endorser for their olympic commercial spots: The average Joe.
One ad in particular struck the country, myself included. It starred Nathan Sorrell, a 200 pound 12-year-old from London, Ohio and placed him front and center stage for Nike’s “Find your greatness” campaign; serving as an inspiration and reminder to us all that the same greatness we see in those athletes we all know and love, can also be found within ourselves.
After a bit of research, not only is Sorrell reaching his personal goals—he’s lost 32 pounds to date—but he's inspired those around him to do the same. His mother has also embarked on a healthier journey because of his greatness, and together they are taking steps to living a happier, healthier lifestyle.
Which got me thinking: In all of history, greatness is never achieved alone.
What happens next? You “Pass the torch.”
This "next" advertisement will be a symbolic homage to the Olympic origin of the campaign and also a metaphoric play on words to inspire those around you and build a happier, healthier community by passing on your torch of greatness: i.e. your source of inspiration and motivation to help support others.
AD: To continue on with the same footage that was originally filmed with Sorrell back in 2012. However, as he is running solo, his mother joins in right beside him. One by one, those that he has inpiried within his community in London, Ohio will jog behind him and take his lead. The camera will start to pan out away from Sorrell as more and more people start coming into the scene behind him. As Sorrell trudges through, leaving the center of the footage, the footage will highlight another member of the community that’s jogging behind him, slightly struggling but still showcasing their greatness. The camera pans in on this person, as they're running with their eyes looking down at the ground, but before the scene cuts he/she looks straight into the camera. A visual representation of what it means to inspire those around you and pass the torch of greatness. This ad will show how the power of one can help change communities for the better, and give rise to a movement.
OTHER ADS: Community centered b-roll, with voiceovers in the background describing how we are “In this together.” The ads will end with #passthetorch in iconic Nike font and swoosh logo across the final shot.
The campaign will be featured on social media with the hashtag, #PassTheTorch. I expect it to go viral, mainly because the very core of social media is to provide a sense of community and since the campaign is centered around that, hopefully we can inspire individuals to get out and use Nike gear with their friends and post it onto their accounts with the hashtag.
On Nike apps, you can also send a torch to one of your friends.
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"Testimonial" Advertisement
By: Natazshya Rodriguez
For this assignment, I needed to create a conceptual print advertisement that showcased my abilities in connecting brands with people. I was asked to choose one celebrity with a strong connection to a certain product, service, cause or organization. There was one specific deliverable that could not be disregarded: absolutely no copy. The ad had to stand alone and speak for itself. In other words, the connection had to be so strong, the audience should be able to get it right away. Pre-existing partnerships were not allowed.
This is what I came up with:
