NIKE
KDXI
During the 2018 NBA Finals, Translation hijacked the narrative of the series with a 60-second film called “Rise.Grind.Shine.Again,” resulting in a defining moment for both Kevin Durant and Nike.
THE CHALLENGE
Kevin Durant is unquestionably one of the most dominant players in the game today. Yet for many basketball fans, his recent transfer to the best team in the league left a huge stain on his reputation. Words like “cupcake,” “coward,” and “snake” began to dominate the conversation surrounding #35.
This posed a serious threat for Nike Basketball, whose competitive counterparts, Adidas and Under Armour, were rapidly driving sales based on the success of their premier athletes James Harden and Steph Curry. For the launch of the KDXI, Nike needed their basketball fans to get behind KD again, or risk putting one of their top basketball lines in jeopardy.
THE IDEA
While all eyes were fixated on the NBA, we seized an opportunity to completely alter Kevin Durant’s public narrative.
Immediately following the last game of the 2018 NBA Finals, Translation and Nike Basketball launched “Rise. Grind. Shine. Again,” a 60-second film that depicted the tireless work that KD has put in, day in and day out, throughout his lifetime to become an NBA champion.
THE WORK
We worked tirelessly to unearth footage of Kevin Durant training, playing, and working out throughout his high school, college, and NBA careers – the most poignant of which was footage of him as a kid running up a hill in front of his grandmother’s house, which would also serve as a central throughline of the unmatched hard work that he’s put in throughout his life.
The film culminates in a victorious superman pose by the future NBA champion, foreshadowing his now-realized triumph and his willingness to do it all again.
THE IMPACT
Negative sentiment surrounding KD began to significantly drop. In the four months prior to launch, one out of every four mentions surrounding Kevin Durant was negative. Post-launch, this dropped to one out of every 10 mentions (10% vs. 25% negative posts). The conversation began to shift from statements such as “KD is ruining the NBA” to “KD is the definition of Ball Is Life.” This shift in sentiment contributed to Nike’s 9% quarter-over-quarter increase in apparel and footwear sales.