In this week’s Our Take, Nike’s new campaign puts the focus on resilience. In Dublin, doormats are the new medium to get a message across for upcoming elections. Four Seasons Baby is living the life thanks to quick brand reactions. And a new survey reveals “chilling” data. Literally. Man.
Refugee Athletes Hit Hard
Nike’s new campaign ‘Watch Where We Are Going’ is shifting the narrative on what it means to be a Refugee Olympic Athlete. They’ve released a powerful brand film featuring boxer Cindy Ngamba, who is tipped to become the first athlete to win a medal for the International Olympic Committee’s refugee team.
The work was created by Nike in collaboration with the Olympic Refugee Foundation and hopes to help displaced people find community and a sense of belonging through sport.
By showing how refugee athletes have the same hopes and dreams of success as any other athlete, the video challenges standard narratives around all refugees, who are often overshadowed by their past, with little attention given to their hard work and determination, not just in building new lives, but in reaching their personal goals.
You can check out the new ad for yourself here.
Mats Off to Dublin 8
The European elections are looming (7th of June, mark your calendars), and would-be politicians are campaigning door-to-door. In Dublin 8, the doors are campaigning right back at them, with ingenious, politically-charged doormats, emblazoned with slogans such as “What nurse, teacher, bus driver can afford €2,400 a month”, and “No place to play in Dublin 8.
The campaign is the brainchild of artists Augustine O’Donogue and Conor McCabe, who describe the mats as a “creative intervention”, designed to post questions, open a conversation and prompt reflection.
The mats were distributed on Dublin 8’s Meath Street, free of charge. Art movements have often played important roles in social change and we’re absolutely here for this one.
Now get out, and vote!
Four Seasons Fantasy
If you haven’t seen the video of that baby with a sassy hand in the air, shouting ‘ME’ when asked “who wants to go to the Four Seasons Orlando”, where the hell have you been?
Poised elegantly on her dad’s hip, the super-cute Four Seasons Baby racked up over 7.9 million views with just one hilarious piece of content that has us all wondering what her parents do for a living.
But it doesn’t end there – because there’s ‘Four Seasons Baby’ the sequel. Earlier this week, Four Seasons Orlando posted a TikTok of the baby enjoying a lavish stay at the hotel that every one-year-old (and their parents) is envying right now.
We all know acting fast in reaction to viral trends is key for brands, and the hotel nailed this with a perfect, and generous, response that brought even more smiles to the audience.
Dare we say it – who wants to go to the Four Seasons Orlando?
“Chilling” data shows cannabis growth
“Watching the game, having a bud” was the famous line for the proudly mid American beer. But it doesn’t mean what it used to.
When it comes to daily or near-daily consumption in the US, marijuana has taken over as the relaxant of choice, with about 18 million cannabis users compared to 15 million drinkers. Americans are now more chill than their beer.
Unsurprisingly, there’s a generational divide. Younger generations – who’ve grown up with legal cannabis – consume significantly more than older generations, who are more likely to stick to booze, confirming everyone’s prejudices about everyone else.
This will obviously have an impact on the drinks sector, which is already adapting to more health-conscious, gym-going generations. As an industry, they seem suspiciously relaxed about the whole thing. Possibly because they’re busy investing in the growing cannabis market themselves.
The shift in consumption signals a major shift in American culture, and with attitudes to marijuana softening around the world, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see cannabis culture take hold here. Is it too much to hope for a bit of Peace and Love too?