Ahead of Euro 2016, Nike Football launched this hugely engaging long-form ad, showing Cristiano Ronaldo switch bodies with an unsuspecting ballboy, in a footballing take on classic film ‘Freaky Friday’.
The challenge
‘The Switch’ clocks in as the most expansive work Nike and Ronaldo have undertaken. Director, Ringan Ledwidge, the force behind Nike’s 2014 ‘Winner Stays’ film, joined forces with Matthew Libatique also known for his film work on “Straight Outta Compton,” “Black Swan” and “Iron Man.”
The solution
The ad kicks off with Ronnie playing in a match against England at Wembley Stadium. Portugal take the lead via one of his pinpoint crosses, but as he plays the ball, his momentum takes him over the advertising boardings, colliding into a teenage ballboy. Both of them are left dazed from the collision, and when they wake up the next day they realize that their lives will never quite be the same again.
Nike also harnessed the power of Snapchat to extend its already-popular Euro 2016 campaign via a special filter that lets fans merge their faces with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The results
'The Switch' video has clocked up over nine million views on YouTube and is ran under the strapline 'Spark Brilliance' to show football lovers how one moment can change everything.
Building on this theme, the sports giant teamed up with Snapchat to let supporters do their very own 'swap' with Ronaldo.
View a sample below:
The move comes as sports marketers continue to invest in the messaging app. Earlier this month the All England Tennis and Croquet club inked a deal with Snapchat to share live moments from Wimbledon, including footage from the men and women's finals.
