Budgie smugglers and kangaroos. It’s nice (?) to see that Australia’s cultural stereotypes are alive and well, even in Nike advertising. Personal peeve aside, Wieden + Kennedy Portland has created something fresh in a category that’s far too full of advertising – some great and rather more with the intention, it seems, purely of filling up internet space.

The campaign, The Dreamers, which was launched to coincide with the beginning of the US NBA season, is in classic cartoon style, a brilliant way to make an otherwise average idea stand out. And a brilliant way to appeal to a younger audience. In each film in the series, a star player is presented as a young dreamer, being mocked for his ambition to be a basketball great when he grows up. The ads all end with the line, It’s only crazy until you do it, a corollary of the brand’s famous, Just Do It, line.

For those who don’t follow US basketballer, Ben Simmons, is a Melbourne-born player for the Philadelphia 69ers. He was the 2018 Rookie of the Year.

Devin Booker plays for the Phoenix Suns and Anthony Davis for the New Orleans Pelicans.

https://youtu.be/TQ6EnAwSCis

https://youtu.be/YH5-NA7tvbw

https://youtu.be/bJ5ccCpi_dU