Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign is still reeling in creative awards more than two years after it debuted. The so-called 'Dream Crazy" effort from Wieden+Kennedy Portland today won the Grand Prix for Creative Effectiveness at Cannes Lions.
The campaign is being recognized again because the category includes a necessary lag: Work must have previously won a Lion or have been shortlisted for one and it also must demonstrate that it drove business results over time.
Nike’s polarizing campaign certainly won attention when it debuted in late 2018. And according to the Cannes jury—led by Ann Mukherjee, chairman and CEO at Pernod Ricard North America—it also did great things for the brand’s business. The effort led to $163 million in earned media, boosted the brand’s value by $6 billion and led to a 31 percent sales increase, according to stats included as part of a Cannes presentation about the campaign.