EDITION →

Global

•

USA

•

AUNZ

•

CANADA

•

IRELAND

•

FRANCE

•

GERMANY

•

ASIA

•

EUROPE

•

LATAM

•

MEA

Edition : InternationalLanguage : English

How LBB Works Plans & Pricing Editorial Toolkit

Creative in association withGear Seven

Creative

Chinese Mythical Beasts Inspire 99 Unique Jerseys for Beijing’s Best Basketballers

02/05/2019

Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai

Advertising Agency

Shanghai, China

1.4k

ADD TO COLLECTION

02/05/2019

Nike and W+K Shanghai took inspiration from traditional Chinese emblems to create unique prizes for the Beijing99 tournament

Beijingers are proud and like to boast. And while outsiders might dismiss their talk as hot air, Nike and W+K launched a multi-sport campaign telling everyone to “Believe a Beijinger.” This April, Beijing athletes were encouraged to back up their talk in film, OOH and a four-week basketball tournament: The Beijing99.

In ancient China, military and civilian rank were distinguished by emblems of mythical beasts embroidered on robes. Nike and W+K took inspiration from this system by centring the city-wide Beijing99 tournament around 99 originally-designed jerseys that are up for grabs.

Beijing, China’s basketball capital, is home to many proud and confident basketball players. Nike and W+K challenged those players to put their pride on the line and battle for the title of best in Beijing.

“Beijing players have a reputation for talking a big game, so giving them a platform to back up their talk with performance was important to our approach,” says Chris Kirkup, planner at W+K Shanghai.

The rankings and colours of the traditional system inspired the one-of-a-kind jersey designs. Five illustrators were invited to help design the jerseys.

The number 1 jersey in the Beijing99 is a golden dragon jersey, similar to the original highest rank. Jerseys 2 through 9 are the Kirin. The 10s are a Lion. 20s are a Leopard. 30s are a Tiger. 40s are a Bear. 50s are a TigerCat. 60s are a Rhino. 70s are a Horse. 80s are a Crane, and 90s are a Xiezhi.

“We wanted to inspire pride and ambition in Beijing’s younger athletes. So we combined elements from China’s rich visual history with modern art direction to celebrate the attitude and intensity of Beijing basketball players,” says W+K Shanghai ECD Ian Toombs.

“It was important for this work to feel like something that could only exist in Beijing,” adds Creative Director Matt Skibiak. “The team even used elements inspired by the Forbidden City’s architecture to design the OOH. We wanted these jerseys to feel like Beijing trophies.”

A film and OOH promoted the jerseys and the Beijing99 event - a four-weekend long tournament throughout April where thousands of players play to be among the best 99.

The jerseys, tournament and OOH are a celebration of Beijing basketball drawing from both the city’s long, proud history and its love of basketball. Nike and W+K partnered with Mindshare and Kinect for the projections.