New Nike TVC premieres during India-Pak semi-final

A new Nike TVC made its debut during the World Cup semi-final clash between India and Pakistan last night.

Watch the TVC (story continues below)

Created by JWT India's Bangalore office, the ad themed "Yards" features an interplay of scenes between the streets where the game is played by young, passionate Indians, and the stadium which is the playground of the national squad. The 22 yards that form the length of the cricket pitch, symbolise the relationship between the two, and that in this country, cricket unites everyone, and the heroes revered by millions are made, years earlier, in the streets where they start playing.

“Cricket is more than just a sport in India. It’s more than just about runs scored or games won,” said Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India. “It is a unifying force that represents dreams fulfilled and barriers broken. Nike’s new “Yards” captures this idea by creating an authentic visual link from the young cricket crazy kids to the sport’s elite athletes. The ad is yet another milestone in Nike’s deep connection to cricket in India and we are confident that it will stir the emotions of ‘Bleed Blue’.”

Senthil Kumar, executive creative director of JWT Bangalore, said of the creative execution, "The build up to every delivery is the bowlers run up and is often  compared to express trains. A euphoric build up of a train picking up speed before launching itself into top speed is created using various street percussion instruments and blended seamlessly across a whirlpool of visuals of several 22 yard gullys of India with various bowlers running up and delivering the ball which strikes the bat and launches the track into an euphoric street beat. The TVC celebrates the raw street style of the game and the endless battle between the bat and the ball as we experience the seamless visual whirlpool between the street and the stadium."

The TVC has been released about a week after the 'Bleed Blue' pledge started to air during the India-Australia quarterfinal. Kumar added, "The first one is the 'Nike Team India Pledge', bringing alive the athletes' point of view on their game and entirely about what they are pledging for India this World Cup and how they intend to play and bleed blue for our country. The second film 'Nike Yards' is the Nike point of view on cricket in India and aims to capture the soul of the game that's rising from the gullys to the galleries. And don't be surprised if we launch a third Nike Cricket film when India wins the World Cup!"

Credits:

Client: Nike India
Agency: JWT India
Writer and creative director: Senthil Kumar
Director: Omri Cohen
DOP: John Jacob
Production: Hello Robot
Sound design and Music: Dhruv Ganekar