Tales From The Inbox - September 16, 2008

Women in Sports: I got an email about a really awesome campaign that Nike is doing overseas. The print material is all outside of the US, but the online can be seen all over the world:

NikeWomen launches animated ‘Here I Am’ films

As part of its Pan-European ‘Here I am’ campaign, in which Nike strives to inspire a new generation of women to experience the impact of sports on life, Nike is launching a series of animated films featuring five young female European athletes. Each film shows the unique athlete’s journey towards mental strength gained through sports. As of today, the animated films will be viewable online at nikewomen.com.

In the five animated films, Nike shares the stories of five of its iconic athletes, including Maria Sharapova and the UK’s Nicola Sanders. The films celebrate Swiss triathlete Nicola Spirig who thrives in apocalyptic weather conditions, Italian triple jumper Simona La Mantia who found her strength in what she thought was her greatest weakness, 400M sprinter from the UK Nicola Sanders whose animated body parts show us the age-old struggle between mind and body, French Judoka Delphine Delsalle who defeats a multitude of disapproving opponents yet retains her femininity, and famous Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova whose critics have unwittingly fueled her success.

“Despite the vastly different look and feel of the films, they all close with the athlete literally forming the “I”, in ‘Here I Am’, the tagline and ultimate expression of the campaign” says Mark Bernath from Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, who along with Eric Quennoy, served as Creative Director on the campaign.

The animated films are part of Nike’s latest edition of the women’s ‘Here I am’ campaign that is launching this month. From a gallery-worthy coffee table book to traditional print ads and posters, to animated films, online banners and even a collection of athlete stories on the NikeWomen website, the newest edition of the ‘Here I Am’ campaign aims to inspire young European women in more compelling ways than ever before. The campaign, developed by Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, which first broke last spring, centers around the idea that girls who have sport in their lives also have greater self-confidence.

Nike believes more girls and women should realize the importance of sports, and the positive impact sports can have on their lives. “Girls who play sports are stronger in body and mind, and female athletes are a perfect example of that” Stephanie Ankrah Marketing Manager for NikeWomen in the UK, points out. “With our ‘Here I am’ campaign, we want to celebrate female athletes. Celebrate their confidence, their passion and their willpower to reach their goals and live their dream.”

“This project is special because it gives us the rare opportunity to prove what we preach - that without a doubt, participation in sport increases self-confidence” says Betsy Decker, Associate Creative Director/copywriter at W+K Amsterdam. “Their stories, like the young women themselves, are as charming as they are impressive and inspiring. By telling the personal stories of these young athletes, we hope to show girls of all ages and fitness levels how sport strengthens self-belief.”

In February 2008, an independent online consumer survey that was conducted by TNS amongst more than 10,000 young women between 16 and 30 years old from nine European countries confirmed that playing sport on a regular basis helps them to feel healthier, more confident, and more successful in life.

You can see all five of the videos on a special YouTube channel set up for the campaign.

IWFL: Well, sort of. The California Quake are holding a fundraiser on Sunday, October 5th from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm. It’s the Co-Ed Flag Football 16-Team Tournament. The event will be held at Downey High School and you can either sign up a 12 person team or be a free agent and they’ll assign you a team. The cost is only $20 per person but if you pre-register a 12 person team you can save $40. Check out the flyer here or the Quake website for details and registration.