Nike's Partnership With FC Barcelona

Nike has had a partnership of 20 years with Barcelona FC and to celebrate the inspiration they receive from Barca on the pitch they have realised a short film which highlights what makes them a special club. ‘The Ball Makes us More’ is directed by Wally Pfister, famous for his cinematography work on Inception.  ‘The Barca way’ is defined by its possession based style. Barca’s Intricate passing and intense ball retention style is displayed brilliantly through the film as well as the connection the club shares with its fans globally. 

The film showcases current players such as Iniesta, Coutinho and Dembele, while also featuring the old generation of legends such as Ronaldinho and the late Johan Cruyff. It also features 20 fans among these stars which depicts the ideology that that a club is nothing without its fans. As well as displaying Barca’s play style and stars through the years both on the field and in the stands, the film further portrays the evolution of the clubs logo and jersey. Another testament to Barcelona was used in the visual style of the film which depicted Barcelona’s unique city layout. The music and voice over’s are also from Barca’s home grown talent including Catalan percussionist ‘Kaboom’, singer ‘Rosalia’ and actor Carles Francino. 

Visually the film encapsulates Barca’s style and identity which has changed the world of football and brought about some of the best sides in recent times. It also projects to viewers how Barca FC and the city itself share the same values and characteristics fashioned within the clubs ethics and style of play. Andrés Iniesta said: "Our style of play has allowed us to achieve many wins. We like to attack, be daring and brave; we want to have the ball at all times. We win or lose, and whatever the opponent is, these are our principles. I like this film because it shows this aspect, and also shows the special relationship we share with our fans."

It’s not the first time Nike and Barcelona FC have paired up to go viral. It’s now been over 10 years since Nike released the Ronaldinho crossbar challenge video which broke the internet being the first YouTube video to reach 1 million views. 

Another example of a sponsorship recently capturing a clubs visual identity in a creative way can be seen when Adidas teamed up with Bayern Munich. This came about as part of their ‘#HereToCreate campaign in which Adidas collaborated with a host of top clubs to display their latest boot launch.