NIKE MDS5 — "NEVER DONE BEING POSITIVE" WITH LEROY SANÉ
CONCEPT & NARRATIVE DIRECTION
IN A WORLD OBSESSED WITH PERFECTION AND PRESSURE, WE CHOSE TO TELL A DIFFERENT STORY—ONE OF REFLECTION, GROWTH, AND MENTAL STRENGTH. THE MDS5 CAMPAIGN WITH LEROY SANÉ FLIPS THE TRADITIONAL NARRATIVE OF ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE. INSTEAD OF CHASING PERFECTION, WE FOCUSED ON THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE.
LEROY, OFTEN SCRUTINIZED BY THE MEDIA AND BURDENED BY SKY-HIGH EXPECTATIONS, LET US IN ON A DEEPER TRUTH: TALENT IS ONLY PART OF THE JOURNEY. THE REST IS MINDSET.
CREATIVE FILTERS
POSITIVE. REFLECTIVE. IMPERFECT. INSPIRING. WE FRAMED THE CAMPAIGN THROUGH THE LENS OF MENTAL WELLNESS AND EMOTIONAL HONESTY. FROM QUIET MOMENTS OF MEDITATION TO EXPLOSIVE ACTION ON THE PITCH, WE SHOWED THAT TRUE STRENGTH BEGINS IN THE MIND.
HERO AV
THE CAMPAIGN’S HEARTBEAT WAS A CINEMATIC FILM VOICED BY LEROY HIMSELF. WE OPENED WITH EXTERNAL NOISE—PRESS HEADLINES, PUBLIC DOUBT—ONLY TO TRANSITION INTO SANÉ’S INNER MONOLOGUE. HIS WORDS BECAME THE EMOTIONAL ANCHOR, GUIDING VIEWERS THROUGH HIS TRANSFORMATION FROM PRESSURE TO PEACE.
“OUR THOUGHTS CREATE OUR REALITY. ONCE YOU MAKE THE SHIFT, YOUR MIND CAN TAKE YOU AS FAR AS YOUR BODY IS CAPABLE OF.”
FROM TRAINING FIELDS TO MINDFUL ROUTINES, THE VISUALS REFLECT BOTH ATHLETIC DISCIPLINE AND EMOTIONAL CLARITY—ENDING NOT WITH A GOAL SCORED, BUT WITH A PLAYER AT PEACE.
STYLE & EXECUTION
THE TONE WAS MEDITATIVE, THE PACING INTENTIONAL. FILMED FROM WIDE AERIAL SHOTS TO INTIMATE CLOSE-UPS, WE EMPHASIZED SOLITUDE, SPACE, AND SELF-REFLECTION. SANÉ WASN’T JUST PRESENTED AS A FOOTBALLER, BUT AS A HUMAN IN EVOLUTION—STRONGER, BETTER, HAPPIER.
THE TAKEAWAY
MENTAL HEALTH IS PART OF THE GAME. WITH THIS PIECE, WE DIDN’T JUST SELL BOOTS. WE SPARKED A MINDSET.
CREW
11teamsports
BRAND: Nike Football EMEA
CREATIVE DIRECTION: Nelson Ndongala
PHOTOGRAPHY: Nelson Ndongala
CAMPAIGNING: Jan Gehrig
VIDEO: Kwami Tender
TALENT: Leroy Sané