Nike tugs on heartstrings with 'My Crazy Dream' IGTV series

Brief:

Nike is rolling out its first content on IGTV, Instagram's standalone video platform, to highlight the inspiring stories of everyday athletes, according to an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer. The sportswear brand plans to roll out the content under the banner "My Crazy Dream" through next year.
The first few videos are available via the @Nike account on IGTV, which is tied into the brand's Instagram account that has more than 82 million followers. The first episodes include profiles of Maynor De Leon, a 700-pound Chicago resident who loses weight with a rigorous training program, and Sarah Reinersten, a Paralympian who prepares for a triathlon.
The videos, developed with agency Conscious Minds, aim to humanize the Nike brand by "passing the mic to athletes and giving them a platform to showcase their strength and commitment to Nike's ideals," per the announcement. Each video ends with the brand's classic "Just Do It" tagline.

Insight:

Rather than producing overt product ads, Nike is doubling down on inspiring stories and focusing on overall health and well-being in an effort to resonate with consumers and spur positive associations with the brand.

With "My Crazy Dream," Nike is experimenting with how to connect with consumers by leveraging fresh mobile video platforms while demonstrating how a brand can expand its visual storytelling beyond the confines of a traditional 30-second spot. Each video tugs at viewers' heartstrings with inspiring stories of relatable people. That strategy could help to humanize the global Nike brand by focusing on people who aren't celebrated professional athletes, but can still engage and inspire others with their commitment and alignment to Nike's brand values of self-improvement and athleticism.

This isn't Nike's first time reaching out to younger audiences by delivering content where those consumers spend time online — social media — in a format that might resonate with younger users. In June, the brand shared an animation featuring soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo for its World Cup campaign.

Nike joins a growing list of brands dabbling with IGTV as a promotional platform since Instagram launched the long-form video hub this year to compete more directly with YouTube. Mercedes-Benz celebrated the 130th anniversary of the first long-distance drive with a short film on the video platform, marking the first cinematic production to be featured on IGTV. Chipotle and National Geographic are also testing the platform as more consumers seek out longer-form video content online.

Nike has had an active year with mobile campaigns to drum up interest in limited-edition shoes and merge social media with other advertising channels, with mixed results. Last month, the brand faced criticism on social media from iPhone users after it appeared that only users of Nike's SNKRS Android mobile app were able to access the surprise drop of its new Nike Queen Blazer Mid shoe before users of the brand's iOS app were given a chance to buy the limited-edition stock. Earlier in the month, Foot Locker hosted a mobile scavenger hunt that let fans get early access to Nike's LeBron 16 King "Court Purple" sneakers that NBA star LeBron James debuted during a game.