Nike: They Call Us Leeuwinnen [presentation image]

Credits & Description:

Client: Nike
Product (Service): Nike Womens Footbal
Agency: Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Entrant: Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Idea Creation: Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Media Placement: Mindshare Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Pr: Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Production: New Amsterdam Film Company, The Netherlands
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Bernath, Eric Quennoy (Wieden+kennedy, Amsterdam)
Creative Director: Evgeny Primachenko (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Creative Directors: Al Merry, Craig T Williams (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Art Director: Hannah Smit (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Copywriter: Christopher Cryer (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Director: John Felipe (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Head of Broadcast Production: Joe Togneri (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Agency Producer: Javier Perroud (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Studio Manager: Lizzie Murray (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Designer: Steele Bonus (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Designer: Malia Killings (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Editor: Hiro Ikematsu (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Planning Director: Stephane Missier (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Junior Planner: Anna Leonte (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Communications Planner: Jocelyn Reist (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Communications Planner: Kathryn Addo (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Account Director: Amber Martin (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Account Manager: Molly Rugg (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Project Manager: Loes Poot (Wieden+kennedy Amsterdam)
Synopsys:
The Campaign
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.
Creative 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.
Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market
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 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.
During the Women’s EURO 2017 tournament, Nike wanted to put women’s football in the spotlight for the first time and provide young Dutch female athletes (13-17 year olds) with a message to rally behind.
To further understand our audience, we interviewed 20 Dutch females between the ages 13-16 about their perception on women in sports in the Netherlands, the culture of football in the Netherlands and barriers to the sport. From the interviews, we learned Dutch women have a distinct mindset and attitude (bikkel - a word used to define someone with grit and will), which ultimately led to our strategic point of view and creative platform.