Nike ‘dares to be Brazilian’ ahead of 2014 World Cup

Nike has rallied a plethora of Brazilian stars including Neymar and David Luiz to highlight its long-running ties to the country’s national team as it looks to exploit the buzz around the World Cup Group draw later this week and steal a march on official sponsor Adidas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bfP3TZHUzY

The Wieden + Kennedy  created 90-second “Dare to be Brazilian” spot features the football stars performing tricks in a blend of live-action and animated sequences. Paris St-Germaine’s Thiago Silva, decked out in 1900s gangster-style attire, gets proceedings underway before Chelsea FC’s Luiz and Shakhtar Donetsk winger Bernard are shown taking on several defenders. Barcelona FCB’s Neymar finishes off the attacking move by scoring in a game of beach soccer.

Davide Grasso, chief marketing officer at Nike, says the advert celebrates the team’s “unique style of play” as players who improvise, dare and modify their technique.

He adds: “[Brazil’s] unique brand of phenomenal football is an inspiration to Nike and athletes around the world, and we are celebrating that unique style of play with this new campaign.”

It comes a week after Nike kicked off promotions around the Brazil kit for the World Cup finals. While there are still months to go before it starts, brands are soon expected to exploit the growing excitement around the event following the announcement of the groups on Friday (6 December).

Nike does not sponsor major sporting events such as the World Cup or the Olympics, however, it has traditionally hijacked events in the past from official partners with its marketing.

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