NIKE Latin Heritage Month
WHAT WE DID
As Gen-Z & Gen-A Latinas participate less in sport due to cultural stigmas, socio-economic barriers, and antiquated gender norms, they struggle to see traditional sport* as a platform for change (within themselves and their communities).
To combat this during Latin Heritage Month (and beyond) Nike aimed to tell authentic stories celebrating young Latina athletes while highlighting the obstacles they must overcome to make sport and movement part of their life.
Creative Concepting
Video & Photo Production
Brand Identity
Integrated Marketing
OrganicSocialMedia
App Threads
Web
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
Educate, celebrate, and share the stories of Gen-Z/Gen-A Latinas who are making sport a part of their everyday lives and inspiring girls who come from the same community to participate in sport by exhibiting a deeper understanding of cultural insights.
For many Latinas, family comes first and with that comes steadfast gender roles within the household. Daughters are expected to take care of the family while the matriarch takes on a job and manages money and bills. So, while Latinx families chase the American dream, moms are perceived as the barrier to their daughter's self-designated success. This limits their access to extracurricular activities in favor of academics or traditional career paths. We chose to showcase everyday life and roadblocks in their way, but also how the barrio (neighborhood)/familia can rally around these girls in support of their ambition and athleticism.
CREATIVE CONCEPTING
Based on the strategy, our goal was to amplify the force and grit of Latinx girls and women by appealing to their biggest asset: their minds. This concept centers on mental health, accessibility, and the idea that sport is for more than just watching your weight.
Latinx culture is rich in sound, from the music to the various languages and dialects. You know the girl who talks a mile a minute, words rolling off the tongue with each roll of an “-r.” It’s because her world is fast-paced and she’s adapted to thinking even faster. From helping out at home to managing school or work and every obligation in between, she has to meet the constant demands of those around her. But how does she cancel out the noise for moments of peace where she doesn’t have to be and do everything for everyone--but can just be herself?
With sports.
Sports are good for physical AND mental health, shaping well-rounded and well-adjusted individuals by increasing self-esteem, motivation, and those moments of quiet that help them make sense of the world around them. It’s more than just an extracurricular activity; it’s an important part of youth development.
CASTING
The talent selections for our hero commercial represent a need to stand out unapologetically and redefine what it means to be Latina in a world that wants to put you in one box.
NICKY NIEVES
Paralympian / Blogger / Non-Profit Founder
Bronx-born and Kissimmee-raised Nicky Nieves is a Paralympic volleyball player for Team USA and a Nike athlete. In addition to her athleticism, she’s a blogger and non-profit owner. Limitless People Inc.’s goal is simple: “opportunity to play volleyball for all.”
CHANTEL NAVARRO
Boxing Prodigy
Chantel Navarro is a young boxer from Glendale. Having trained under her father, former professional boxer Ignacio Navarro, she comes from a long line of fighters. Her uncle, José Navarro, competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Another uncle, Carlos, is a former professional boxer who almost competed in the ’96 Summer Olympics but went pro instead. This 6X national champion is also a WBC amateur champion and Nike athlete.
KIMBERLY ZUNIGA
Nail Tech / Rollerskater / Model
LA-based Kimberly Zuniga is a proud Xicana, licensed nail artist, rollerskater, and model. She specializes in collaborating with her clientele to create small, detailed, and durable works of art on their nails. She picked up skating as a hobby in 2020, prompted by the pandemic, and recently started modeling for a Latina-owned apparel brand called Bella Doña.
VIDEO & PHOTO PRODUCTION: LATINX-LED
Photo and video centered 3 Latina athletes navigating their everyday routines as tasks and responsibilities cut into time they’d like to spend playing their respective sports. However, we were mindful about framing their families and neighborhoods in a negative light. While many would say that they hold these girls back, we believe they propel them forward.
In order to adequately represent the community, we prioritized curating a crew of Latinx creatives and authenticators. The majority were women, and we wanted to include as many distinct Latinx cultures as possible.
For the brand identity, we wanted it to be cohesive with Nike’s We Are Familia collection, inspired by the hand painted signs visible across Latin America, an art recognized by all communities as a visual element of their culture. Their color palette included earth tones and warm primary colors with crackled and washed textures. We decided to put a modern twist on things by marrying that aesthetic with bright, neon colors to signify sports, future, youth, athletics.
Our hand drawn illustrations include culturally relevant imagery and symbolism. For example, birds have a lot of significance in Latinx cultures. Many have birds as national animals, Salvadorans consider it a symbol of family unity, Antillean people view it as symbolizing wisdom– the list goes on.
BRAND IDENTITY
LOGO LOCKUP
ICONS
SECONDARY LOGOS
PAID & ORGANIC SOCIAL MEDIA
Social copy spanned four separate Nike accounts: @Nike, @NikeWomen, @NikeSportswear, and @nikela. Each caption featured a quote and some imagery of each athlete with captions aligning with the respective channel.
In addition, we provided a paid media toolkit with sales-driven, product-focused copy for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and display ads.
APP THREADS
For Nike’s app, we delved into each protagonist’s story with cultural insights that show the nuances within the Latinx community. It detailed how they found their voices through sport with quotes about their experiences and aspirations. It also touched on the broader conversation about Latina participation in sport and the cultural norms surrounding it.
WEB
Web design included the hero video, imagery, protagonist bios, and a statement about Nike’s commitment to fighting for representation that captures the complexity of the Latinx community, in addition to supporting their engagement and participation in sports. It featured the most powerful shots and most powerful quotes from each athlete.
