The Seattle Seahawks quarterback stars in a new commercial launching Nike’s newest American football shoe and as Wilson and his Alpha’s take to the field something magical happens as the gridiron turns into a 70s roller disco.
Wilson wears the shoes in a night game at the Seahawks CenturyLink Field: after the snap he darts and dances around players from Seattle’s divisional rivals the San Francisco 49rs – evading and poking fun at unstable opponents who are actually wearing roller skates.
The campaign’s digital and social assets, linked by the hashtag #MakeEmMiss, are amplified by Nike,
Put 'em on like @DangeRussWilson in the new Nike Alpha Menace Elite.
Available now: https://t.co/5KIPGx52PM pic.twitter.com/08EhNjDEPr
— Nike Football (@usnikefootball) June 2, 2017
and supported by Wilson himself who amplifies the campaign across his own personal platform.
On his Twitter feed, Wilson initially teased the new spot,
Big things happening this weekend. Be on the lookout. #MakeEmMiss @USNikeFootball @NikeSeattle pic.twitter.com/d5RwVcELaM
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) June 1, 2017
and then pushed the video itself after its 2 June launch.
Watch me put 'em on skates all the way to the endzone in the new Nike Alpha Menace Elite. https://t.co/diqFmLXUm5 pic.twitter.com/uQxYqwBAz4
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) June 2, 2017
Wilson also appeared in person at the downtown Seattle Nike Town store to promote the release.
Roll, bounce, skate with me at @NikeSeattle. Saturday, June 3 at 6:30pm PST @USNikeFootball #MakeEmMiss pic.twitter.com/UV6or6vkIs
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) June 2, 2017
The Alpha Menace Elite is a new iteration of Nike’s Alpha class cleat: one of Nike Football’s three dedicated silos – Alpha, Vapor and Force – each based on style of play.
Quarterbacks like Wilson are on the field for the longest amount of time of any positional player and this they require light, but supportive, shoes.
“This cleat means everything to me. When you’re a young kid you dream of certain accomplishments and things you want to do in the sports world, and this is everything that I dreamed of,” comments Wilson.
“When you’re a young kid you dream of certain accomplishments and things you want to do in the sports world, and this is everything that I dreamed of.”
Nike itself claims that the new shoe is its lightest, most innovative football cleat: built for versatile, explosive and multidirectional players (like Wilson, who offered insights and advice in the design process).
14 studs (which are triangular with scooped edges) line the outsole, eight of which are standard primary studs, but Rasmussen’s team added a toe and heel stud and four secondary studs to provide multidirectional traction.
“In terms of cleats we’ve made before, this is our antagonist. It has a dangerous, gritty vibe.” says Nike senior Inline Innovator and the lead footwear designer Jeff Rasmussen.
“[Wilson] moves like a linebacker. The yards he picks up, the way he eludes players and leaves the pocket…he’s incredibly agile uses every bit of the bottom and the edges of his cleats,” adds Rasmussen.
“We used an algorithm that dictated what the lightest, strongest structure was, and we built the plate based on that information.”
A 12-pair Russell Wilson PE limited release of the Alpha Menace Elite is available for pre-order on March 27.
The standard Alpha Menace Elite is now available on Nike.com and at select retailers for $200.
Activative Comment:
The football season is still several months away, but this spot is certainly generating some solid engagement: it has racked up 3.3 million YouTube views, a further 2 million on Facebook, as well as 80,000 Instagram views in its first 48 hours.
With a mix of atmospheric real-time and slow motion shots, with a helping of CGI, this is a stylish spot that even some San Francisco fans might grudgingly appreciate.
Links:
Nike
https://www.youtube.com/user/usnikefootball
https://twitter.com/usnikefootball
https://www.facebook.com/usnikefootball
https://www.instagram.com/usnikefootball/
