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October 13, 2023
Nike Japan’s latest campaign honored the International Day of the Girl Child (Oct 11) with a celebration of the country’s younger generation. As part of a global campaign that ‘reimagines the future of sport’, it highlighting sports’ transformative power to help Gen Zers break free of everyday burdens and stress.
The Day of the Girl Child‘s 2023 theme was, “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Wellbeing. Research has found that Gen Z has the highest proportion of those struggling with emotional stress and poor mental health at 18% globally and 14% in Asia. In Japan, 1 in 10 teens aged 12 to 18 suffer from depression, and studies shows that Japanese women and girls are under greater societal pressure than men to attain ‘perfection.’
Nike Japan notes that, across the nation, Gen Z is under a unique set of pressures that stem from a “choice overload” the previous generations didn’t grow up with. Compounded by the current digital-first lifestyle, everyday stressors are leading to an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and suffocation, as well as an eagerness for “unbound self-control and expression.” As part of Nike’s global Reimagine Victory campaign, the brand has singled out the pressure to be perfect as a key challenge for Japanese Gen Zers.
Nike Japans teamed up with creative agency W+K Tokyo to make ‘Imperfect You’, inviting young people to escape the pressures of perfection and express the power of sport. Using relatable protaganists rather than elite-level athletes, the film follows Aika, a girl facing self-imposed pressure to get good grades, find a solid job and compare favorably to her peers on social media. She travels across past time periods witnessing the pressures of perfection on Japanese women, and with each visit, realizes that she’s not alone, gaining confidence through sport to unlock her authentic self.
Nike athletes and trailblazers, including skaters Yurin Fujii and Ginwoo Onodera and breakdancer Ami Yuasa appear as today’s expression of sport. Ultimately, Imperfect You showcases the power of sport as a tool to release tension, build confidence and realize everyone’s full potential.
Source: Campaign Brief Asia
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