The last week of June saw Nike and partners kick off a campaign promoting its latest Grenfell Athletic FC kit through an initiative titled ‘Fabric Of The Community’ which was led by a spearhead spot and seeks to raise community support funds in the wake of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster.
Promoting the 4 July anniversary launch of the new kit – sales of which will raise funds for the NorthWest London community football club – is an integrated campaign developed and executed pro bono by a group of creative companies across London including creative agency Brothers & Sisters, Rogue Films, global production powerhouse The Mill, VFX studios Electric Theatre Collective and Freefolk, with editing by Stitch Editing, sound is by 750mph and music supervision by Finger Music.
The initiative is led by a hero spot – written by Brothers & Sisters founder Andy Fowler and helmed by Rogue Films BAFTA award-winning Director Georgi Banks-Davis – which champions the idea that the Grenfell shirt is itself the fabric of the community and shows the shirt literally woven into the buildings of the Grenfell estate (including into the bricks, railings and stairwells).
The spot, which launched online and was promoted via paid and organic social platforms, is set to a track called ‘My Sound’ by Mercury Music Prize shortlisted and MOBO winning artist Kano.
The new strip for Grenfell Athletic FC – which was formed by community worker Rupert Taylor to provide a positive platform for community building, renewal and hope to those affected by the 2017 Grenfell tragedy and whose players all come from the tower itself and the surrounding estate) – is available from 4 July and is sold through Kit Locker.
“This project demonstrates the power of our creative community as a force for good,” commented Andy Fowler. “Some of the most talented craftspeople in London coming together to make something powerful and profound that captures the essence of this incredible football club. Helping them raise the funds to grow and continue to provide hope and positivity for a community devastated by the 2017 tragedy.”
Executive Creative Director at The Mill Chappers added: “The creative heart of the project was to show how the football club is not only woven into the fabric of the community but that it embraces and helps protect it too. It was great to see different companies come together to help create this film, working together with incredible attention to care and detail for a higher cause. You don’t get to work on this type of thing every day and seeing the array of talent come together to make this a reality was incredibly inspiring.”
Comment:
The 2021 kit and campaign follows on from the first Grenfell Athletic jersey launch back in Nov 2020 when it was widely worn by celebrities from the world of football, sport, music and fashion.
The initial ‘Grenfell Athletic x Kitlocker’ kit and campaign was also created by Brothers & Sisters and W Communications who played a key role in putting together the various partners – like Nike and Kit Locker – in the project and which was centered around a major cultural moment that encouraged fans around the world to adopt Grenfell Athletic as their second team.
This saw the agency work with 72 relevant big names (to represent the 72 people who tragically lost their loves) to each pull on the shirt and post themselves wearing it in social. Using the campaign line #fabricofthecommunity, a powerful double meaning about the team’s role in the community it serves.
The campaign was supported by the likes of Harry Kane, Noel Gallagher, Sam Smith, Gorillaz, Mabel, Rio Ferdinand, Big Zuu, James Arthur, and the whole Chelsea squad who all proudly wearing the shirt.
This resulted in selling more than 1000 shirts on the first two weeks and generating £30,000 in revenue for the club and which won the PR Week Global Award for the ‘Best Influencer Marketing Campaign’ in 2021.
The initiative generated plenty of media coverage (including in the Evening Standard and The Mirror) and the campaign reached more than 45m people and also boosted d Grenfell Athletic FC’s Instagram following by 1000% in a week.
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