Nike: The Lioness Crest, 1

Credits & Description:

Brand NIKE
Entrant WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM

WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM Amsterdam, The Netherlands Entrant Company
WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM Amsterdam, The Netherlands Idea Creation
NIKE Hilversum, The Netherlands Idea Creation
NEW AMSTERDAM FILM COMPANY The Netherlands Production
WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM Amsterdam, The Netherlands PR
NIKE Hilversum, The Netherlands PR
MINDSHARE Amsterdam, The Netherlands Media Placement
Eric Quennoy Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Executive Creative Director
Mark Bernath Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Executive Creative Director
Evgeny Primachenko Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Creative Director
Craig Williams Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Creative Director
Hannah Smit Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Art Director
Christopher Cryer Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Copywriter
John Felipe Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Director
Joe Togneri Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Head of Broadcast Production
Javier Perroud Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Producer
Lizzie Murray Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Studio Director
Steele Bonus Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Designer
Malia Killings Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Designer
Hiro Ikematsu Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Editor
Stephane Missier Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Planning Director
Anna Leonte Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Junior Planner
Jocelyn Reist Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Communications Planner
Kathryn Addo Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Group Account Director
Amber Martin Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Account Director
Molly Rugg Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Account Manager
Loes Poot Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Project Manager
Al Merry Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Creative Director
Joe Burrin Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Design Director
Michael Graves, Belen Jerez Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Business Affairs
Synopsis
Dutch football may be experiencing it’s darkest times, well at least the men’s team. The women’s team, however, has been experiencing an upswell of energy and excitement. And without any real support or exposure.
This environment has fostered a unique mindset in women’s football in the Netherlands - especially among young girls. A mindset foged away from shiny stadiums, spotlights and endorsements. A mindset of girls who have pure love for the game.
With Netherlands hosting the UEFA Women’s Euro 2017, Nike wanted to celebrate this unique mindset, elevate women’s football, and inspire all Dutch female athletes.
The project’s budget was around €150k and ran across all of The Netherlands.
Outcome
The campaign saw success across press, engagement metrics, product demand, and culture:
- Press described the design as “simple, brilliant and empowering” with coverage from the likes of Buzzfeed, Its Nice That, and DeZeen.
- Campaign events were attended by 360+ fans and media. And the film’s completion rate was highest among our target audience, reaching 1.1M.
- Demand for Women’s Football product on Nike.com is up 360% vs. last year.
- The work had significant cultural impact, with the crest being unveiled in front of the Dutch - Royal Palace and selected to be minted onto official coins & stamps.
- The energy was contagious - the Dutch-hosted UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 saw a new record set for attendance of a women’s football match in the Netherlands (+21K) and was the the most watched Women’s Euro in history.
Execution
The lioness crest was designed to retain the original look and feel of the lion crest. The change aimed to be subtle enough to respect Dutch football heritage and keep both crests in the same “family”, while being bold enough to show a progression and be obviously female.
The change was supported by the Royal Council and approved by governing footballing bodies to be applied to all match kits moving forward.
The crest was also applied across a wide range of campaign collateral. From ‘stadium’ jerseys, special edition kit boxes, t-shirts, retail signage, event installations and even the team bus.
Campaign Description
For 46 years, the Netherlands Women’s National Football Team have been known as ‘de Oranje Leeuwinnen’ - the Orange Lionesses. It’s what they’re called by the press, by their fans and by themselves. But for 46 years, they’d worn a lion as their crest.
We worked in partnership with Nike and the KNVB (The Royal Dutch Football Association) to change the national team’s crest from a lion to a lioness. It was the first time Nike collaborated with a football federation to change a national logo.