For the 30th Anniversary of “Just Do It”, Nike wanted to inspire a new generation of young athletes and youth overall to realize their potential through sport. Nike, the number one sports brand, wanted to bring to life its iconic idea and line, “Just Do It” in a fresh way, relevant to youth athletes as well as culture at large.
The 'Dream Crazy' campaign was led by Colin Kaepernick, the controversial NFL quarterback who sacrificed his dream for an even bigger one when he knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality—and the whole thing was launched with a single tweet from Kaepernick, before the 2-minute film was launched during the opening of the NFL season. Voiced by Kaepernick, the film encouraged a new generation of athletes to “dream crazy” by celebrating athletes that bucked convention and pushed their sports forward including Serena Williams, Shaquem Griffin, Lacey Baker, Isaiah Bird and more. Dustin O'Halloran's track 'We Move Lightly' was a perfect fit for the ad, giving space for Kaepernick's message to take the foreground whilst supporting its uplifting and inspiring themes.
The film and campaign immediately ignited
debate across the United States and throughout the world. But while some people and
news networks launched a boycott against Nike and burned their shoes,
millions came to the brand’s defense and praised the campaign for being on “the
right side of history”. The campaign saw Nike’s stock price rise to an all-time
high and created $6 billion in brand value, making it the most successful
campaign in the brand’s history.