“Maybe we’re all birds. Maybe we all have our own wings. But it is up to us to decide how high we can fly.”
The famous Jordan brand is celebrating its 25-year anniversary in the Chinese market. The inspiration brought to all its customers is presented through a series of documentary-style spots titled “Different Courts, Same Drive,” a campaign created by Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai.
Chinese comedian Tong Monan steps in to take on the role of the fictional “Air Historian”, an expert on the history of the Jordan sneakers. Who better to remind customers of the meaning behind this pair of shoes?
Each spot presents a different story that inspires excellence, featuring well-known figures from the sports industry. From basketball and skateboarding to hip-hop and fashion, the short documentaries display a range of people in different phases of their careers achieving greatness.
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As Monan gives a history of the Jordan sneaker from the fresh perspective of the agency-created “Air Historian”, every featured cast member is introduced to viewers as an embodiment of the values that Michael Jordan himself stands for.
“We wanted to create a larger-than-life, charming, walking/talking Jordan encyclopedia. Since that person obviously doesn’t exist, we invented him,” said Nick Partyka, Associate Creative Director at W+K Shanghai.
The cast features people such as basketball players Guo Ailun and Yang Shuyu, legendary sneakerhead and sneaker shop founder Guo Yu and skateboarder Xiaohei.
“Jordan is no longer about one Jordan. It’s about the family. The visuals brought this family together to demonstrate “Different Courts, Same Drive”. Each one celebrates one main protagonist in their respectful court. And using motion further helped convey the idea by combining all of their worlds into a seamless singular one,” explained the Creative Director of W+ K Shanghai Zhong How.
To mark the celebration, the marketing campaign is being released across all social media channels. It is also supported by an interactive the marketing campaign museum experience which was developed especially for the 25-year anniversary.
