Nike Outdoes Itself

Sorry it's been a minute since my last post.  I've just been busy handling business and trying to get these bills paid.  But don't worry, I know I gotta give you what you want, I gotta give you what you need! *in my Chuck D voice* I appreciate you visiting my blog, and don't want to lose you! I'm continuing to work on doing a better job of balancing everything.  It's just hard! OK, no more excuses.  Let's go! *in my Diddy voice*

World Cup fever is in full effect!  As I walk around NYC, I can't help but notice bars and restaurants promoting the event  on every street of every neighborhood. We only have about 2 weeks to go and I'm starting to get really pumped, especially because the NBA Playoffs have been a HUGE disappointment.  I can't wait to watch a tournament that makes me care.  And, as much as I love the NY Yankees, it's not enough for me.  I feel like a piece of me is missing, especially since I can't watch my Jets until August.  Thankfully that void will be filled on June 11th when the largest sporting event in the world starts.

Last week, Nike released a 3 minute promo for the World Cup called "Write the Future".  Everybody and their mama was in that spot.  Literally.  It's epic.  And, because it's so big, and has generated so much press, you'd think that Nike was an official partner of FIFA and the World Cup, if you didn't know any better.  They "just do it" big and go hard.  They rep some of the best soccer/football players in the World (Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Franck Ribery and Christiano Ronaldo) and reap the benefits of the implied association they make with the event, without using any FIFA intellectual property.  Rather than paying FIFA hundreds of million of dollars to become an official sponsor, like Adidas, they'd rather rally their roster of talent to sell their brand, while promoting the event at the same time. So smart.

Today, Adage released an article stating that Nike's release of "Write the Future" broke their own viral record for the biggest audience in the first week of a campaign with 7.8 million views.  That's A LOT of people!  The previous record, which was also held by Nike, was the creepy (my word, not theirs) "Earl and Tiger" ad, which debuted in April with 6.3 million views in its first week. Nike's latest feat is way more impressive because it didn't have the luxury of a sex scandal from the world's most popular athlete to benefit from. 

Seriously though, even if you are Adidas or FIFA, can you really be mad at Nike when they're bringing this many eyeballs to their work which in turn promotes the World Cup?   Every four years, Nike catches a lot of flack for "ambushing" this event.  I understand why people get upset with "ambushers".  At the end of the day, it's all about money.  But, in my opinion, if you're Adidas, FIFA, another official WC partner or a broadcast partner, you are also benefiting from the push Nike has put behind the World Cup and the worldwide appeal that it draws.  In fact, they should all be thanking Nike for creating such a buzzworthy spot that still has people talking about it a week after its release.

Here's a map showing where the video has had the most impact.  As you can see, it's penetrated every pocket of the world.  

  
Also, If you'd like to see which other viral videos made the list, check it.  Our favorite Old Spice man is back on the list. And, Pepsi's "Go Africa" spot (another unofficial partner) also made the list with 1 million views. 

Finally, if you haven't had a chance to see Nike's "Write the Future" spot, I got you.

PUSH PLAY:  Write the Future