Nike Basketball This Is Our Game: Anthem
R/GA, New York, New York, 2008
Description
When Olympic Team USA wanted an anthem to motivate them through the event, Nike enlisted hip-hop super-producer Just Blaze and fans across America to make it happen. The Anthem MC contest allowed basketball fans and rappers to rhyme to Blaze’s exclusive beat, record it from their phones, and vote online in an Olympic-style tournament bracket system. The final four MCs, selected by thousands of fans, were given exclusive Nike Olympic gear and professional recording sessions for the final release. In the end, the Anthem followed Team USA to Olympic gold and was featured on ESPN2’s Road to Redemption miniseries.
Juror Notes
Nike has the budget and the pull to sign any rap star they choose. They’re teaching us all a lesson about opening the creative doors to the masses.
Credits
- Design firm
- R/GA
- Art director
- Shu Zheng Li
- Copywriter
- Jason Nichols
- Designers
- Chadwick Shao, Ray Sison, Rasmus Wangelin
- Interactive designer
- Ryan Romero
- Production director
- Vin Farrell
- Producers
- Jennifer Allen, Kyle Bunch, Nigel Goodman, Sean Lyons, Julie Renwick, Dayna Vecsi
- Programmers
- Jon Hackett, Adam Housman, Asako Kohno, Robert Messerle, Dale Tan
- Creative directors
- Andrew Hsu, Richard Ting
- Music
- Mike Frank
- Client
- Nike