As if a trash-talk-robot that prints directly on soccer balls wasn’t enough, Deeplocal and Nike’s ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy have collaborated again for the campaign “Write the Headline,” a spin-off of the campaign “Write the Future.” Inspirationally titled and grand in scope, this project is causing everyone to look to the sky, in a literal and figurative way.
Soccer fans from all over the world can submit messages (does this sound familiar?) about which player they think will dictate the headlines by carrying his team to World Cup victory. Messages can be submitted via various web platforms: Facebook app, Twitter (hashtag #NikeFuture), QQ (a Chinese chat program) and Mxit (a South African instant messaging app). The messages are showcased in an LED-display on two sides of Johannesburg’s Life Centre building, one of the tallest in the city. After the text is displayed, it morphs into an animation of the players.
Here’s Nike’s fast-paced video for Write the Headline.
Although the message is small (57 characters max), the impact is huge: the image and text can be seen from 2.5 kilometers away. These futuristic headlines are displayed on the Life Centre building from 6pm until 6am in 12 different languages. The person who submitted the message also receives a picture of the message displayed on the building.
Parts of this big-technology venture may sound familiar–Deeplocal and Nike’s Wieden + Kennedy have been working to create a presence at the World Cup. And it seems to be working. The idea behind “Write the Future” is similar to the campaign “Balls to the Brits, Balls to the Yanks“. Fans submit a message (whether it sounds like a headline or a threat), which is run through a moderation system, and then tossed out or up (onto a ball or a building).
Deeplocal developed the mechanic that allows people to submit messages (such as the Facebook app) and the system that moderates them. Nike personnel around the world choose the messages to be displayed.
These campaigns are reminiscent of the Nike LIVESTRONG Chalkbot, although the sporting events are quite different. With Chalkbot, fans and supporters submitted messages via web and social networking platforms, they were filtered through a moderation system, and then chalk-painted onto the course. Deeplocal is continuing its involvement in projects that allow sports fans to get closer to the players and the game, without the cost of travel, but with their own words.