A Blind Runner Has No Time for Doubt in Nike's Latest Empowerment Campaign

Sometimes, when a task seems too daunting, and the fear of failure looms large, asking “Can I?” or “Should I?” will only deflate your dreams. At such times, it’s probably best to skip the questions, dig down deep, and find your own answers. In other words: Believe in yourself — and just do it. That’s the message of “Never Ask,” a poignant campaign from Nike Russia and Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam. Spots timed to coincide with the ongoing FIFA World Cup tournament present three determined, dedicated athletes who overcame long odds and adversity to succeed at their chosen sports. First, we meet competitive runner Elena Fedoseeva, who doesn’t let blindness slow her down: [kickout id="1"] “Through a load of research and interviews, we found some of the most badass athletes in Russia,” Craig Williams, W+K Amsterdam creative director, tells Adweek. "We realized these new young Russian athletes had a different mindset and mentality,” he says. “They didn't need to listen to others or try to fit within a rigid system — which is a somewhat ‘Punk’ ethos in many ways, of never asking permission along their journey.” Next, we dive into the story of Aleksandr Maltsev, Russia’s first—and so far only—professional male synchronized swimmer, according to the brand: [kickout id="2"] “We wanted to create a symbol for our campaign to allow (Russian) kids (and teens) to rally behind and own,” Williams says. “This work was also designed to speak directly to their experiences, the possible naysayers in their lives, and tell them no matter their circumstance, they have the inner self belief to achieve their sporting dreams.” Here’s footballer Fyodor Smolov, who rose from the second string to make a big score: [kickout id="3"] Across all three films, the vibrant, at times visceral visual style employed by SomeSuch director Daniel Wolfe really drives home the athlete stories and broader brand message. He brings considerable artistry to bear, crafting spots that fuse the narrative depth of mini-documentaries with the intensity of quick-cut Hollywood trailers. In addition, W+K produced a fourth spot with Riff Raff director David Wilson. It takes a sort of Russian anime approach to celebrate the “korobka,” or football cage where local kids learn to play. For this particular piece, colorful outdoor murals of various "Never Ask" athletes come alive: [kickout id="4"] “The Korobka story was a really challenging piece of work to deliver,” recalls Williams. "It was eight night-shoots in a row, meaning not a lot of sleep and moving around to install each of the pieces of the OOH across different locations throughout Moscow. The posters were all hand cut and hand installed, and they were the equivalent of over a kilometer of material." Ultimately, “Never Ask” tallies by channeling Nike’s classic hard-nosed spirit and reframing it in bold, compelling ways. “That’s exactly the take out we wanted,” says Williams. “(We wanted) people to feel the ‘Just Do It’ mentality of the stories and feel inspired to pull on their shoes and get out there and simply do the sport they love.” CREDITS CAMPAIGN: NIKE: NEVER ASK (Никогда Не Спрашивай) AGENCY: WIEDEN+KENNEDY AMSTERDAM Executive Creative Director: Eric Quennoy, Mark Bernath Creative Director: Craig Williams, Evgeny Primachenko Art Director: Hannah Smit (Korobka film), John Filipe (Athlete films, Social films, GIF Stickers), Copywriter: Bernard Hunter (Korobka film, Athlete films, Social films), Lee Bolton (Freelance - Athlete films) Russian Copywriter: Alexander Dobrokotov (Freelance) Head of Broadcast Production: Joe Togneri Executive Producer: Michael MacMillan (Korobka film) Broadcast Producer: Javier Perroud (Athlete films), Jaime Tan (Athlete films), Khalid El Khouani (Social films), Cory Chonko (GIF Stickers) Planning Director: Stephane Missier Junior Planner : Anna Leonte Communications Planning Director: Hillary Heath Group Account Director: Kathryn Addo, Alyssa Ramsey Account Director: Amber Martin Account Manager: Molly Rugg Head of Design: Joe Burrin Studio Director: Lizzie Murray Studio Designer: Steele Bonus (Korobka film) Project Manager: Loes Poot Business Affairs: Akvilina Jaskunaite (Korobka films/Social films/GIFs), Kacey Kelley (Athlete films), Belen Jerez (Athlete films), Emilie Douqué (Athlete films) FILM PRODUCTION - ATHLETE FILMS PRODUCTION COMPANY: SOMESUCH Director: Daniel Wolfe Producer: Lee Groombridge Executive Producer: Seth Wilson Director of Photography: Monika Lenczewska Wardrobe Stylist: Hannah Edwards Production Designer: Vladimir Radlinskiy Line Production: Radioaktive Film EDITING COMPANY: TRIM Editor: Tom Lindsay, Dave Davis Edit Assistant: Ed Hanbury Producer: Polly Kemp AUDIO POST: GRAND CENTRAL RECORDING STUDIOS Sound Designer/Mixer: Raja Sehgal Additional Sound Design: Aaron Taffel MUSIC - SMOLOV Optimo (MM remix) Artist / Title: Liquid Liquid & MassiveMusic Music Company: 99 Records & MassiveMusic MUSIC - FEDOSEEVA Swan Lake Suite Op. 20 (Reworked) Artist / Title: Tchaikovsky Music Company: Universal Production Music & MassiveMusic MUSIC - MALTSEV Artist / Title: Phil Kay/ Never Say Never Music Company: Woodwork Music Producer: Andy Oskwarek, Sam Phillips POST PRODUCTION THE MILL: 2D Lead Artist Dan Williams & Carl Norton 2D Artists: Fergal Hendrick, Rebecca Clay, Jose Caballero, Alfie Vaughan, Georgina Ford, John Thornton 3D Lead Artist: Philip Maddock 3D Artists: Vaclav Cizkovsky, Andrew Bartholomew, Edward Hicks, Sergio Xisto, Kate Gabrielova, Peter Agg, Maria Carriedo, Alain Thay, Carlo Carfora, Luis Cancio, Will Burdett, James Hansell Colorist (Framestore): Simon Bourne Producer (Framestore): Chris Anthony FILM PRODUCTION: KOROBKA FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY: RIFF RAFF FILMS Director: David Wilson Producer: Cathy Hood Executive Producer: Matthew Fone Director of Photography - Live Action: Benoit Soler Director of Photography - Stop Frame: Toby Howell Wardrobe Stylist: Vasilisa Gusarova Production Designer: Egor Teretshenkov Line Production: Hype Production EDITING COMPANY: TRIM Editor: Thomas Grover Carter ANIMATION COMPANY: WIZZ Director: CRCR Producer: Matthieu Poirier AUDIO POST: WAVE STUDIOS LONDON Sound Designer/Mixer: Parv Thind MUSIC Artist / Title: Joan Jett / Bad Reputation Music Company: Blackheart Records Group Inc. POST PRODUCTION: GLASSWORKS AMSTERDAM Lead Flame Artist: Kyle Obley Flame Artist: Alex Pattinson VFX Set Supervisor: Darren Macpherson Colourist: Scott Harris Producer: Lauren Loftus FILM PRODUCTION - SOCIAL FILMS PRODUCTION COMPANY: RIFF RAFF Director: Finn Keenan Director of Photography: Finn Keenan Producer: Tom Birmingham Executive Producer: Matthew Fone EDITING COMPANY: WIEDEN + KENNEDY AMSTERDAM Editor: Finn Keenan, Joe Walton Animator: John Beckers AUDIO POST: WAVE STUDIOS AMSTERDAM Sound Designer/Mixer: Randall Macdonald Sound Editing: Juan Pablo Thummler Audio Post Producer: Estelle Papougnot POST PRODUCTION: GLASSWORKS AMSTERDAM Lead Flame Artist: Kyle Obley Flame Artist: Alex Pattinson, Alexis da Camara After Effects Artist: Hugo Rodriguez Colorist: Scott Harris 3D Artist: Claudio Pavan VFX Producer: Dave Moore INTERACTIVE PRODUCTION - GIF STICKERS PRODUCTION COMPANY: LISBON STUDIO Director: Thomas Ormonde Producer: James Lowrey LAUNCH - OOH PRODUCTION PARTNER: FACES & LACES MOSCOW

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A Blind Runner Has No Time for Doubt in Nike's Latest Empowerment Campaign

Inspiring Russian athletes star in new ads from W+K Amsterdam

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David Gianatasio