Nike had a huge advertising success at the 2010 World Cup with "Write the Future," the epic soccer spot that won the 2011 Film Grand Prix at Cannes for Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam. (It didn't work out so well for the players in the spot, though, many of whom failed notably at the tournament—fueling fears of a "Write the Future" curse.) Now, Wieden + Kennedy London takes over for Amsterdam with a sequel of sorts called "My Time Is Now," which is, in its own way, just as epic as the original.
The theme this time is the hunger of youth, with up-and-coming players like Brazil's Neymar, France's Yann M'Vila and Germany's Mario Götze storming a field—followed by hundreds of others—to compete against established stars like France's Franck Ribéry, Holland's Wesley Sneijder and, of course, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. The list of superstars also includes Rafael van der Vaart, Javier Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Jack Wilshere—as well as the retiring Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola. And for those Americans who could care less about soccer, LeBron James even makes a cameo—and it appears he would make a pretty good goalkeeper, too.
The spot has the same dynamic, otherworldly atmosphere as "Write the Future" did—it has a luminous glow, and thanks to some cinematic tricks, the play on the field is presented in a way that's somehow both unbelievably frenetic yet supremely graceful. (It captures the superhuman feeling of high-level sport like almost no other ads do.) The ad also has its tongue firmly in cheek, with comic touches all over the place—most notably, Ronaldo getting completely sidelined because he can't find a shirt that fits him.
If the new spot doesn't have quite the compelling narrative that made "Write the Future" so special (that spot's often hilarious visions of post-tournament adulation or scorn for players who succeed or fail were priceless), it makes up for it by offering more in the way of interactivity. Over at Nike Football's YouTube page, you can watch a version of the film that has embedded "tunnels" that lead to all kinds of hidden content.
Nike simply can't do a mediocre soccer commercial. Here, it's made another instant classic. Let's just hope it doesn't put a hex on the players this time.
CREDITS
Client: Nike
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, London