Title | THEY CALL US LEEUWINNEN |
Brand | NIKE |
Product/Service | NIKE WOMENS FOOTBAL |
Category |
B11. Sponsorship & Partnership |
Entrant
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WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
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Idea Creation
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WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
|
Media Placement
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MINDSHARE Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
|
PR
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WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
|
Production
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NEW AMSTERDAM FILM COMPANY, THE NETHERLANDS
|
Credits
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.