By Gouri Shah
Mint, New Delhi
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) A new advertisement from Nike which celebrates the strength and power of India’s women athletes is drawing the attention of one of the most influential women in the world…Sheryl Sandberg.
MUMBAI
Sheryl Sandberg’s “Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” has sold over one million copies worldwide and her “Lean In Foundation” is dedicated “to offering women the ongoing inspiration and support to help them achieve their goals.” So when Sandberg gave the new “Nike” ad the thumbs up on her facebook page…it was a pretty cool endorsement for Nike and the Indian women featured in the ad.
The Nike ad was posted less than 15 hours ago and has already been viewed 1.5 million times. Easy to see why as her page is followed by over 2 million people on Facebook.
Sandberg’s influence is powerful, in 2012, she was named in the Time magazine 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
In the post on her Facebook page on Friday, Sandberg said, “Amazing ad from Nike celebrating the strength and power of India’s women athletes, from Joshna Chinappa to Rani Rampal. The story behind this ad is also inspiring: Deepika Padukone, an actress and one of the featured athletes, shared how sports saw her through some of the darkest days of her life. “Two years ago, I struggled with depression. I almost gave up. But it was the athlete in me that gave me the strength to fight.” Today she remembers an old lesson her father taught her: “To be the best, always remember the three Ds: discipline, dedication, and determination.” Great to see Nike showcasing women’s strength.#JustDoIt.”
The Nike advertisement was launched 11th July on actor Deepika Padukone’s Facebook page has already been viewed over 3.2 million times.
The music video, ‘Da da ding’ for Nike Women by Wieden + Kennedy Delhi is all about girl power. The brand wanted the campaign to inspire girls to go out and take up a sport. The video, which is set against foot-stomping music, showcases a range of women–boxers getting in the ring; cricket players in a dusty maidan; a woman doing push-ups, solo in her apartment bedroom; a dancer atop a car wearing a striking fluorescent jacket; lean runners along Marine Drive, a spunky basketball team playing in an alley; a gang of girls zigzagging through overhanging, drying clothes, with a football. The ad also features Indian women athletes such as squash player Joshna Chinappa, footballer Jyoti Ann Burrett, field hockey player Rani Rampal, and cricketers Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Shubhlakshmi Sharma, among others.
