Wieden+Kennedy created this :60 for Nike which urges the antithesis of its iconic “Just Do It” slogan. The 180-degree slogan turn has been embraced to address racism. Titled “For Once, Don’t Do It,” the spot encourages people to stop being silent, to stop making excuses and to instead be part of progressive change.
As protests spring up around the country in response to the brutal death of an African-American man, George Floyd, while in police custody, Nike’s stark, sparse TV spot broke on Friday (5/30). It consists of just several lines of copy against a black background, followed by the Nike swoosh logo.
The opening line reads, “For once, Don’t Do It.” Subsequent lines of copy are:
- Don’t pretend there’s not a problem in America.
- Don’t turn your back on racism.
- Don’t accept innocent lives being taken from us.
- Don’t make any more excuses.
- Don’t think this doesn’t affect you.
- Don’t sit back and be silent.
- Don’t think you can’t be part of the change.
- Let’s all be part of the change.
While a “Don’t Do It” on the surface seems foreign to Nike, not so is taking a stand on race–a prime case in point being the lauded “Dream Crazy” spot, also from W+K, featuring Colin Kaepernick who was both praised and criticized for his kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games as a peaceful protest against police brutality and for racial equality.
CreditsClient Nike Agency Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Top Spot of the Week: Samsung, BBH Singapore, Director Rhys Thomas Get Fit For A Surf Holiday
Samsung’s new global campaign from BBH Singapore, featuring Samsung Health and Galaxy AI, tells the story of a young professional couple who compete to get fit for a surf holiday.
Titled “A Samsung Health Story: Racing to Fiji,” this film taps into Gen Z’s wellness dilemma and the fact that they can often find health information overwhelming; in particular, BBH Singapore took inspiration from young people who reference their “quarter life crisis” on social media. This film tells the story of Stacey and Steve who decide to go surfing in Fiji, something they did five years ago but haven’t done since they started their jobs. However, there’s one problem: they need to get fitter first.
Featuring a range of Galaxy products powered by Galaxy AI, they rebuild their fitness to prepare for the trip, competing playfully to spur each other on. We see them comparing their Energy Scores (a new feature on the Samsung Health app), recording their runs and swims on their Samsung Galaxy Watches, trying and failing to get fit at work and on their commutes and striving to improve in the run up to the trip. When they get there, however, there’s a fun twist, and the film ends on a cliffhanger.
The ad is expected to be the first in a series, which will develop the characters and their “world” in future episodes. This longform (two-and-a-half-minute) version of the spot delves deeper into the storytelling, in a fresh approach for Samsung’s product campaigns, while the shorter edits focus on driving exposure to specific features.
BBH Singapore also leaned into the entertainment aspect of the spot; it was directed by comedic specialist Rhys Thomas at Stink Films, who has a major TV background. Best known for his work on Saturday Night... Read More