Nike’s ‘Dream Crazy’ takes inaugural Entertainment for Sport Grand Prix at Cannes

Nike’s “Dream Crazy” work featuring Colin Kaepernick has added to its Outdoor Grand Prix at Cannes by taking the inaugural Grand Prix in the new Entertainment for Sport Lions.

The jury president, Steve Stoute, Founder and CEO of Translation, said that the entire Nike campaign, created by Wieden & Kennedy Portland, clearly stood out and what the jury most applauded was the use of Kaepernick, because Nike had “taken a real risk in using him and sticking with him and so the same craziness they were asking for in the campaign was the same theory they were applying to themselves.”

Stoute added: “The use of him in this way was so special we had not only to award that but it’s also the benchmark of the risk we want creatives to take going forward. In our industry a lot of people do anything not to get fired—but sometimes if people take great risker they will receive greater rewards.”

The awards criteria for Entertainment for Sport was to “reward excellence in breakthrough creativity within the sports marketing ecosystem. This includes use of effective strategic planning, sponsorship, brand management, media, entertainment and/or talent."

Stoute said the jury saw 690 entries to the category but some did not fit the criteria. “We saw 50 pieces of work that were super-strong.”

“As a new category, it was a learning experience,” he added. “Sport is a microcosm of life and can tell so many stories.”