Nike touts hip-hop video for new basketball push

Timed to coincide with the ‘Tournament of Nine Gates', a three-on-three basketball tournament running in Beijing, the clip forms part of a wider campaign which also includes outdoor and online, with the initial component launching last month.

The soundtrack Beijing Basketball Young Master, which was written and performed by Beijing-based MC Webber, and remixed by Soma Music, backs a video which focuses on three young basketballers, taking on an increasing number of challengers with slick basketball moves, before finally emerging victorious.

The clip is running across Beijing TV2 and TV6 networks until the middle of next month, and is supported by outdoor TV.

"The music video itself tells the story of three basketballers, and talks about getting your team together and using your skill, ability and attitude to overcome your challenges, attributes that resonate with the Nike brand," said Kel Hook, Wieden & Kennedy China MD.

"We chose to employ a music video to resonate with the target consumers, because we thought in the context of the whole campaign, it was the right piece that fit," he added.

"Basketball is one of the biggest sports in China and Beijing is a very urban environment, so for us it was important to capture that."

According to Hook, the urban soundtrack and gritty feel of the clip creates an"‘authentic" feeling among young Chinese basketballers, an approach that allowed the agency to leverage its key insights into the pride that local  players feel about their own sporting ability and the heritage of the game in the city.

"We'll approach any idea and look at how best to communicate it, rather than just simply opting for a television spot. Advertising still has a big role to play in the communications mix, but there are now so many ways in which we can connect with consumers."

The online component allows users to view the video clip and ‘making of' segment, track the results and fixtures of the Nine Gates tournament and basketball news.

The Beijing campaign follows the regional Nike Pro work which launched in January, a push which involved several of the apparel brand's key sporting stars, including footballer Ronaldinho, basketballer Lebron James and tennis doyen Roger Federer, among others.