THEY CALL US LEEUWINNEN

Short List
TitleTHEY CALL US LEEUWINNEN
BrandNIKE
Product/ServiceNIKE WOMENS FOOTBAL
Category B11. Sponsorship & Partnership
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
Credits
Name Company Position
Mark Bernath, Eric Quennoy Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam Executive Creative Directors
Evgeny Primachenko Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Creative Director
Al Merry, Craig T Williams Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Creative Directors
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 Agency Producer
Lizzie Murray Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Studio Manager
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 Communications Planner
Amber Martin Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Account Director
Molly Rugg Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Account Manager
Loes Poot Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam Project Manager

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.

Execution

We unveiled the crest change with a large manifesto in Dam Square in front of the Dutch Royal Palace. We invited 250 fans to the event and offered an exclusive Q&A with athletes. In the days leading up to the first match, we leveraged the voices of local Dutch influencers, the KNVB and the national football team to spread our messaging and unbox special influencers kits with the new crest. Throughout the tournament, we took over social feeds through athlete and victory tacticals. We also had on-the-ground presence in key cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht. To cap off the campaign and celebrate the team’s epic win, we changed all Leeuwenstraats (Lion Streets) in the Netherlands to Leeuwinnenstraats (Lioness Streets).

Tier 1 - Media Outputs - Press described the design as “simple, brilliant and empowering” with coverage from the likes of Buzzfeed, Its Nice That, and DeZeen. - Covered by 44 different outlets across on line, print, Tier 2: - 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.

The Situation

One of the biggest challenges women’s football faces in the Netherlands is a lack of resources and visibility. By changing a beloved and revered national symbol on the Netherlands Women’s football team’s jersey, we were able to generate serious attention around the team. From the start, we didn’t know whether the press coverage would be negative or positive but we knew it was a necessary change to help empower these talented women.

The Strategy

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.