Chicago hasn’t gotten a whole lot of commercial love from the swoosh since a certain bald balla owned the basketball courts for a couple of decades.
So it’s nice to see Nike focusing attention on the windy city again even if it’s for hot dogs.
But it’s a Chicago dog, the best kind of hotdog the Reel 360 team has ever tasted. Ah, we long to feel that juicy dog’s taught skin SNAP in your mouth when you bite into it.
Now, if you’re not familiar a correct Chicago dog comes topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt.
Notice anything missing? Yeah, that’s right ketchup. You’ll NEVER find ketchup on a proper Chicago dog. It’s insulting. And it’s this fun metaphor that plays center stage in this new Chicago-focused Nike spot by Wieden+Kennedy Portland and Arts & Sciences director Mike Warzin.
The spokesman for this spot is the order-caller at a diner who, alongside calling out an order for a hot dog, shouts proudly about the qualities of the city and its sports. It celebrates Chicago athletes and teams, from the Jordan-led Bulls to high school kids, who are playing their sport in true Chicago style: in the words of the spot’s order caller, that means never sugar coated, with no nonsense, less talking and more action. Watch the :60-second spotbelow:
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Following the launch of the anthem, three local athlete stories launched on social and take a deeper dive into how kids in Chicago are using their respective sports to change the narrative of the city.
The three athletes are McKinley Nelson, the founder of Project sWISH; Ixhelt Gonzalez, a member of the US women’s national wheelchair basketball team; and Monyett Crump, founder of REVEAL Dance.
Finally, the campaign wraps with an authentic Chicago-style pop-up diner that pays homage to some of the city’s most iconic sports icons and moments, which launched this past weekend.
The spot harkens back to some of the more classic Nike spots from the 90s and 2000s. And that’s a great thing. Especially with no friggin’ ketchup.
Credits
CLIENT: Nike
CONTACT: Anagha, Alreja
CREATIVE
CREATIVE AGENCY: W+K PORTLAND
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Eric Baldwin, Jason Bagley
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’Rourke
COPYWRITER / ART DIRECTOR: Kevin Steele, Jack Welles
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Matt Hunnicutt
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jake Grand, Krystle Mortimore
PRODUCER(S): Emily Knight
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Jasmyn Barr
ART PRODUCER: George Qatsha, Shani Storey
GROUP BRAND DIRECTOR: Andre Gustavo
ACCOUNT TEAM MEMBER(S): Luiza Prata Carvalho, Paanii Annan, Anthony Williams II
CREATIVE OPERATIONS MANAGER: Lisa Calgaro
GROUP STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Andy Lindblade
GROUP MEDIA DIRECTOR: Daniel Sheniak, Reme DeBisschop
MEDIA TEAM: Brian Goldstein, Graham Wallace, Justin Bradley
BRAND STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Becca Taylor
BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Kevin Moyer, Emily Kahn, Maggie Harasyn
TRAFFIC: Sabrina Reddy, Billy Mucha
EXECUTIVE DESIGN: Producer Alicia Kuna
DESIGN PRODUCER: Michael Rosenau
DESIGNER: Mitch Wilson
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Arts & Sciences
DIRECTOR: Mike Warzin
DP: Mihai Malaimare
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Mal Ward
LINE PRODUCER: Kristin Porter
EDITORIAL COMPANY: Rock Paper Scissors Editorial
EDITOR: Jamie Foord, Lauren Dellara
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Alyssa Oh, Jack Kanner
POST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Shada Shariatzadeh
POST PRODUCER: Adam Parker
VFX COMPANY: A52
VFX SUPERVISOR: Andy Barrios
LEAD FLAME: Dan Ellis
2D VFX ARTISTS: Stefan Gaillot, Enid Dalkoff, Shauna Prescott
ONLINE EDITORS: Sam Kolber, James Buongiorno
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Sofio Hall
VFX EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Patrick Nugent, Kim Christensen
VFX PRODUCER: Andrin Mele-Shadwick
COLOR COMPANY: A52
COLORIST: Daniel de Vue
COLOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Thatcher Peterson
COLOR PRODUCER: Jenny Bright
SOUND DESIGN COMPANY: Lime Studios
SOUND DESIGNER: Rohan Young
AUDIO ASSISTANT: Jeremy Nichols
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Susie Boyajan
PRODUCERS: Kayla Phungglan, Megan Hernandez
MIX COMPANY: Lime Studios
AUDIO MIXER: Rohan Young
AUDIO ASSISTANT: Jeremy Nichols
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Susie Boyajan
PRODUCERS: Kayla Phungglan, Megan Hernandez
MUSIC
SONG: Chicago (That Toddling Town)
COMPOSER: Fred Fisher
ALBUM: Fisher Catalog – Disc 1
ARTIST: Tony Bennett w. Count Basie
PUBLISHER: Sony ATV Music Publishing
MUSIC SUPERVISION: Company Walker
MUSIC SUPERVISION EP: Sara Matarazzo
MUSIC SUPERVISION PRODUCERS: Stephanie Pigott, Danielle Soury
PHOTOGRAPHER
PHOTOGRAPHER: Adam Jason Cohen
SOURCE: Arts and Sciences
