I am totally in love with the new Nike spot 'Da Da Ding' by ad agency Wieden+Kennedy India. W+K has long been Nike's ad agency, but this is the first spot out of the India office. The commercial was directed in a music video style by Francois Rousselet. The beat and the music is amazing, at first I thought it was a Neptunes/Missy collabo but it is actually the rapper Gizzle and producer Gener8ion.
The Creative Director on the commercial, Mohamed Rizwan, said in a statement:
"Sport in India has a massive image problem, particularly for women. What we set out to do is give it a complete makeover by making it cool, accessible and fun. To that end, we commissioned some of the best image makers and musicians, and got together a crew of women that best represent sport in India right now."
The tone is energetic and uplifting. I love sports and I love to watch badass women breaking stereotypes. It is important for young girls to see strong women from their country, from their cities, destroying barriers and building confidence through sports.
Actress Deepika Padukone, who played national-level badminton before taking the plunge into acting confirms this message by sharing,
“Everything I am today and everything I have achieved comes from my years of playing sport. My goals, my commitment, my focus, my dedication, my discipline, my sacrifices, my hard work. All of it, I’ve learnt it all through sport. Sport has also taught me how to handle failure and success. It has taught me how to fight. It has made me unstoppable!”
One part of the video I felt was particularly impactful was when they zeroed in on one of the female athlete's tanned face with the lyric:
"I ain't worried about getting a tan because I'm still just as beautiful man."
In many cultures of course lighter skin has been established as what is more beautiful and therefore girls playing outside all day in the sun has been frowned upon. I love that this issue was addressed.
Here is the group of women featured in the ad:
The featured athletes L to R: Joshna Chinappa, Shweta Hakke, Rani Rampal, Gabriella Demetriades, Ishita Malaviya, Jaie Bhadane, Deepika Padukone, Naina Mansukhani, Swetha Subbiah, Jyoti Ann Burrett and Tanvie Hans.
And if you are like me and can't get enough of that beat here is the song on Soundcloud!