Kids Talk Tough in New Nike Campaign by R/GA Shanghai

Resisting the trend of saccharine parental sentimentality towards children in China, the work heroes junior sporting stars who make it clear they don’t want to be babied. A series of films feature a real life runner, boxer, footballer and basketballer, aged 10 -13 years, embracing the challenges of their sport alone and bluntly telling adults to let them play by their own rules. A final film brings the four together in an anthem of independence.

“When it comes to sports, children have the grit, determination and fearlessness of adults. They aren’t constrained by their age, but they’re sometimes constrained by parents’ fears of them falling or failing,” said Steve Tsoi, VP Marketing of Nike Greater China. “We wanted to help overcome this over protectiveness by reframing ‘young athletes’ as athletes who happen to be young.”

The films appear online and across DOOH sites, and are brought to life with a meme generator allowing users to create their own poster and inspirational quip. A series of activities were also created to support the campaign, including the Nike Children’s Run, Football Training Camp and Rise Academy, pitch and court takeovers as well as a dedicated Don’t Call Me Precious event at Beijing Dongdan Sports Park.

Terence Leong, Executive Creative Director, R/GA Shanghai said the campaign was designed to empower kids by highlighting the egalitarianism of sport, and the strength and self-sufficiency it helps children to develop.

“Sports doesn’t care how old you are. It’s going to be just tough on you whether you’re 13 or 30, and just as rewarding.”