Title	RISE PHILIPPINES
Brand	NIKE
Product/Service	NIKE BASKETBALL
Category	A02. Non-Fiction: series or film
Entrant Company	AKQA London, UNITED KINGDOM
Contributing Company	AKQA London, UNITED KINGDOM
Contributing Company 2	PITCH & SYNC London, UNITED KINGDOM
Media Agency	MINDSHARE ASIA PACIFIC Singapore, SINGAPORE
Production Company	FIRECRACKER FILMS London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Duan Evans	Akqa	International Executive Creative Director
Jamie Thompson/Ebba Hult	Akqa	Creative Team
Carlos Matias/Pedro Vilas Boas/Jose Paz	Akqa	Design Team
Alistair Schoonmaker/Nic Camacho/Lisa Pickett	Akqa	Account Team
Jeffrey Burgin	Akqa	Planner
Nick Townsend/Steve Allen	Akqa	Project Management Team
Emile Swain/Andy Thackery	Akqa	Production Team
Claire Finn	Firecracker Films	Executive Producer
Cherish Perez De Tagle/Victoria Souter	Firecracker Films	Producers
Max Fisher	Firecracker Films	Director
Luke Jacobs	Firecracker Films	Cinematographer
Jim Shreim	Firecracker Films	Edit Producer
Craig Stobart/Olivia Baldwin/Max Downey	Firecracker Films	Editors
Alex Lavery/Simon Robinson/Francesca Briginshaw	Pitch and Sync	Music Production
Simon Pestridge	Nike	VP Marketing/Nike EMEA
Gabe Folick/Meiwa Tei	Nike	Brand Communications/Brand Design
Bulbul Khera	Nike	Senior Marketing Director/Nike South East Asia
Janna Wan	Nike	Regional Brand Director/Nike South East Asia
Byron Brooks	Nike	Brand Connections Manager/Nike EMEA
Patrick Reyes	Nike	Marketing Manager/Nike Philippines

The Campaign

In the Philippines, basketball is a national obsession. However, the bright lights of the wooden courts are reserved only for a chosen few, despite the talent on the streets of the barangays. We wanted to prove that no matter where you are from, when given the opportunity, anyone can Rise Beyond Belief and realize their dreams. How would we do it? By finding 24 young ballers, helping them overcome their adversities, and showcasing their stories to inspire a nation. Having built a destination celebrating the culture of Filipino basketball, the ‘House of Rise’, ex-national head coach Chot Reyes arrived to lead the team. 24 were chosen from thousands at tryouts across the Philippines, and given the opportunity of a lifetime: to train with the best in the world, such as LeBron James, Paul George and Manny Pacquiao, and compete on a national stage. Their journey was profiled in five ‘documentary-style’ 20-minute episodes and set to a beautiful soundtrack, including original tracks scored for us by hip-hop beatmaker Onra. Broadcast every Sunday on prime-time terrestrial TV, it shared their highs, lows and inspirational backstories with millions nationwide. Partner show ‘Rise Live’ aired directly after episodes, going deeper behind-the-scenes. We also created exclusive, high-octane training videos with local and global basketball stars, enabling anyone to improve their skills and rise. Rise captured the nation’s hearts, becoming the most-watched series on TV5 of 2015 with nearly x3 the average daily rating for the channel. It cemented Nike as the #1 sports brand in the Philippines, and was the first prime-time TV series for the brand. But most importantly, it gave 24 kids a shot at greatness: to prove they could overcome adversity and achieve more than anyone ever believed. With 12 winning scholarships or tryouts with colleges, it ultimately changed their lives forever.

Rise content reached an estimated 28% of Filipinos, with over 290m impacts*. In total episodes attracted 7.5m views across TV and digital, with trailers and bulletins cumulatively further accounting for up to 10x as many impacts*. The shows also attracted an average rating almost three times the channel’s daily average. Consuming an astounding 85 years’ worth of video online, 31% of digital episode views were to completion: an incredible level of engagement with their longform nature. Excitement and discussion was rife on social: with 1.2m likes, shares and comments, 3.3m total engagements**, 63.5m total impressions and 4.7k Rise-related hashtags. Our dedicated microsite received 115k pageviews: deepdiving into backstories, hosting superstar training videos, and heroing product. Rise fuelled an upswing of over 120% in unique visitors, and over 175% in average pageviews, to Nike Basketball.com pages; users dwelling almost 40% longer once there. It drove 3000 footwear and apparel unit sales, the flagship Manila store bringing in over $1000 per square foot during August. But most importantly, 12 kids were given scholarships or trials with colleges, with two even invited to national tryouts. It was the realisation of a dream they had thought lost, showing anyone can Rise Beyond Belief.

Rolling out across 5 emotional, primetime TV episodes, hosted in a premium purpose-built location, and supported across OOH, digital and retail; Rise was not just a series of branded content created by Nike, but a point of inspiration for anyone nationwide. Broadcast on the Philippines’ TV5 terrestrial station, each week saw another chapter as we documented the highs and lows of 24 young streetballers chasing their dream. Interwoven throughout were appearances from top global and national Nike superstars, with the kids wearing the latest in footwear, apparel and sportswear from the brand. The 24 became the face and voice of the brand – a relatable source of proof that anyone can rise beyond adversity. Heroed on both our channels and in national media and press, their story was always at the heart of content; the brand simply integrated in as the facilitator and instigator of what was a magical journey.