Bringing ‘You Got This’ to Life in 2024

Carly’s experience working on Chapter 1

Over 18 months ago, we began to figure out and redefine how athletes enjoy sport. We were losing touch with Gen-Z, and we knew they were losing touch with sport. In talking with our consumers, we repeatedly heard that pressure makes everything feel impossible. Sport wasn’t fun anymore when negative pressure was coming from all angles. The most vocalized point was the disconnect from sport due to the expectations of others – pressure from parents, coaches, friends, and teammates – to perform in a way that felt heavy and intense.

Through conversations and strategic development, we sought to define our brand’s role in helping consumers return to the enjoyment in sport. As the brand of possibilities, we wanted to land in a space that helps people believe they can disarm negative pressure and play sport on their terms. We wanted to bring them back to where they first fell in love with sport, like their own backyard, reminding them that sport can be played without pressure.

In collaboration with key stakeholders and through production preparation, our team set out to bring the campaign to life in three chapters. Launched in February 2024, Chapter 1 focused on everyday athletes, as we wanted to focus on reconnecting with everyday people. To get Chapter 1 up and running was an intense few months that involved long days that turned into late nights, and endless discussions around every little creative detail, making the work what it is today.

As a result, our first chapter of the brand campaign landed the message that despite all the negative pressures that come from sports, we want you to know, “You Got This.” It’s a positive rallying cry that motivates all people to believe that they can overcome pressure and achieve their personal possibilities in sports.

Nicole shares what it was like to bring on football with Chapter 2

Chapter 1 set the bar high and reconnected our brand with everyday athletes, but for Chapter 2, our focus was on demonstrating how our rallying cry lands with our partners, the elite athletes across the world. With 2024 being a summer of football, having both the Euro and Copa America tournaments taking place, we knew that the next chapter of our brand story needed to be told through the lens of football.

As we set out to develop the campaign, we listened to our partners, we looked to up-and-coming stars and seasoned veterans to share their experience on pressure, and how they overcome it. The overarching sentiment was that right now, there is a lot of pressure and expectations within the game. When our partners suit up to play for their nation, it’s pressure at the highest level for them, but they are able to overcome it by remembering what they enjoy most about the beautiful game. They remember the pressure-free experience of playing football while growing up, whether in their backyard, park, or neighbourhood street. When they enter that mindset, they are able to play past those pressures and expectations.

That’s the sentiment what we set out to capture in Chapter 2. We wanted to show our partners, who will be competing in the Euro or Copa America tournaments, overcoming those external forces to enjoy sport on the highest level. We collaborated with markets, Business Unit’s, and our Athlete Activation team to create content that reflected the truth of our partners stories and highlight their personalities as they get ready for the summer’s biggest football stage.

Shooting Styles

You’ll see that throughout 2024, we not only wanted to land “You Got This,” but also land sports credibility. Throughout the 3D and 2D creative across all chapters, we have stayed authentic to the sports we captured. In Chapter 1, our everyday athletes were shot in action, highlighting them confidently playing sport on their terms. For Chapter 2, all the 2D assets we captured came from in-game scenarios with our hero athletes in the throes of real competition - where a win or loss was on the line. We were able to utilize editing magic to redress the in-game images with the latest federation kits and boots that partners will be wearing this summer. The approach we have taken lands sports credibility no matter who the audience is.

Jasper gives us a wrap up of the final phase with Chapter 3

This year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games marks the third and final phase of the 2024 Global Brand campaign. Celebrating the pinnacle of global sport, the Games are an opportunity to further cement our mission to disarm negative pressure to bring the joy back to sport. Like Chapters 1 and 2, it’s anchored with our newly introduced brand line – and the powerful words of encouragement – You Got This.

We saw this platform first come to life in Chapter 1, focusing on everyday athletes who felt overwhelmed by the pressures of sport – and who were reminded of the pure joy of play. Chapter 2 built upon this mindset, partnering with elite footballers to illustrate how they overcome extreme pressures of high-stakes competition by reconnecting with their love for the game. Now, in Chapter 3, we bring the narrative to Paris 2024 where everything comes down to one moment – building up over four years – when a whole nation is counting on you. When the expectations are getting louder. When the voices in your head make you question yourself. And when one of the highest dreams suddenly feels like an impossible challenge.

The Chapter 3 creative explores these moments leading up to the games, showcasing the incredible personal stories from a diverse range of Global Brand partners, narrated by their own voices. Whether it’s Noah Lyles racing for a place in history, Sümeyye Boyacı chasing the dream of gold, or France’s own Sasha Zhoya defying obstacles and gravity, our campaign celebrates their spirited attitudes and how they overcome pressure with their backyard mindset, so they can simply focus on enjoying what they do best. Countless other inspiring athletes join the mix – including dozens of extensions brought to life in partnership with local market teams.

The end result is a testament to our amazing internal partners across the globe - including athlete activation, local markets, various business units, production, brand creative, and so many others. As we continue to build upon our platform in 2024 and extend it to 2025 and beyond, we aim to bring this Olympic and Paralympic spirit into everyone’s lives and inspire a future generation of athletes to tap into their own backyard mindset – and enjoy sport as it should be enjoyed.

We’re Bringing the Fun Back into Sport

Over the three chapters in this year’s brand campaign, we’ll be hitting home the message that if you take a step back and have a moment of self-reflection, it’s only a game, it’s only a kick, it’s only a moment distilled down to something so small that anyone can handle it. And we’re here, as a brand, to remind you that “You Got This.”