11 August saw Oakley release a remake of the iconic Bob Marley anthem ‘One Love’ as part of its ongoing 2020 ‘For The Love Of Sport’ brand campaign.
Performed by American-born, British-Jamaican singer-songwriter Celeste and co-written by a group of athletes from the Team Oakley ambassador stable, the reworked cover version and accompanying video sets out to honour the power of sport to lift up the world’s sporting community.
The music led marketing, developed in harness with agency AKQA, aims to inspire hope and positivity during a time of uncertainty by celebrating sport and how it enlightens and uplifts.
The reworked verses were co-written by Oakley athletes Diamond DeShields, Ryan Sheckler, Oksana Masters, Caroline Buchanan and Ítalo Ferreira and the video enables viewers to follow athletes’ individual journeys and how sport has impacted their own lives and those of the people around them.
The track debuted exclusively on SiriusXM’s Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio channel during a live broadcast with a special introduction from Skip Marley at 8am on 11 August.
The song and video is amplified across the brand’s online and social channels, supported by Team Oakley athletes on their personal platforms and backed by a PR push.
Also debuting socially on 11 August, the official three-minute music video went live simultaneously on Oakley’s YouTube channel and Instagram TV and the song is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
During the writing process, Oakley and agency marketers interviewed athlete ambassadors and steered the conversation focus on exploring their thoughts on the unifying qualities of sport and how these are illustrated through their own personal journeys and that these reflections revealed a commonality between them – sport’s ability to push-through boundaries and overcome adversity even during the toughest times.
“Lately, our love of sport has been challenged more than ever before, being unable to practice, compete and follow. When diving into the athletes’ stories, we witness the strength of their love of sport – and what it can endure,” explained AKQA creative director Clement Vidal.
“The rewrite of the iconic song One Love seeks to amplify these stories and voices, through an uplifting anthem; An homage to the love of sport to inspire the next generation of athletes and beyond.”
“Sport has the power to evoke emotion, whether participating or spectating,” added Oakley Marketing Director Ben Goss.
“And the world is in a fragile place right now. By sharing what drives us and our athletes, this love of sport, our hope is that it can have a positive impact on uplifting the community during these uncertain times.”
The campaign was conceived and created by a team at AKQA for Oakley Head Of Brand Communications David Spires, Head Of PR And Culture Marketing Suhana Lye, Marketing Director Ben Goss and Creative Director Laura Vandenbergh.
The agency team included European Managing Director Romain Lartigue, Chief Creative Officer Peter Ammentorp Lund, Creative Directors Mads Rasmussen and Clement Vidal, Writers Harriet McGregor, Barne Heimbucher and Divya Bala, Account Director Martin Cochet, Senior Strategist Marwan El Adrham, Production Director Quentin Bernard, Producer Amandine Winter, with Motion Designers Yann Moszynski and Lucas Perret.
The production company was Division, the director was Valentin Petit, with Executive Producer Jules de Chateleux, Producer Theo Gall, Editors Yorgos Lamprinos and Maxime Caro, Line Producer Alliocha Madeuf, Colorist Arthur Paux, DP Shawn Kim and Steadicam Operator Teva Vasseur.
Post production was handled by Machine Molle and sound was run by Chut on vous écoute.
Comment:
This classic track reinterpretation evolves the iconic song into a modern-day love story – preserving its familiar uplifting chorus and chords and refreshes the verses for a contemporary audience – and even we feel its creative and dynamic display of sports passion and determination packs plenty of emotional power.
According to the campaign launch release, Celeste was chosen for the song because of her ability to convey a message through her soulful-tones and her mantra to create meaningful music that can make a difference. Celeste won the 2020 Brit Rising Star Award and was named the number one breakthrough act on the BBC Music Sound of 2020 List.
Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ was a 1965 call for unity and this Oakley remake is part of a year-long celebration of what would be Marley’s 75th birthday in 2020.
And for those wondering whether it is truly relevant to sport, Marley’s son Ziggy has made his own views clear.
“Sport, specifically soccer, was my Dad’s second love after music, and it brought him a great deal of joy throughout his life,” said Ziggy Marley.
“The world really needs love right now, and we’re thrilled to work with Oakley on this amazing reinterpretation of One Love, so it can be meaningful to a new generation during a time when it’s needed most.”
Links:
Oakley
http://www.oakley.com/seeitinprizm
https://www.youtube.com/user/oakley
https://www.instagram.com/oakley/
AKQA
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