Nike's first campaign in Saudi Arabia: 'What if you can?' video goes viral
The film was entirely shot in Riyadh by Saudi Arabian filmmaker, Haifaa Al Mansour
Sportswear giant Nike has come out with its first campaign in Saudi Arabia and the online commercial ‘What if you can?’ has created a lot of buzz on social media.
The one-minute and 35-second video is aimed at inspiring young girls in conservative Saudi Arabia to back their potential and take up a sport. The online campaign has already amassed more than 37 million views on YouTube.
It opens with schoolgirls playing a game of football and the ball stops at a female student sitting on the steps of a school. One of the students asks her in Arabic, ‘Want to play? Let’s go’.
Though the girl doesn’t join other students to play, the ad shows her thinking about her every move taken which could potentially make her an athlete in different sports.
About the campaign, Nike said, “Imagine being a team player who has never met her team, a striker who has never touched a ball, a gymnast who has never taken a leap. Potential is a terrible thing to waste. So, what if you can? There's only one way to find out. Just Do It.
“Nike strives to bring innovation and inspiration to every athlete* in the world. (* If you have a body, you are an athlete.)”
It added, “Our mission is what drives us to do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team and by making a positive impact in communities where we live and work.”
The film has been entirely shot in Riyadh by Saudi Arabian filmmaker, Haifaa Al Mansour.
“I hope the film will encourage young women to push their boundaries and always look for new opportunities. If this film encourages girls to go out and try a sport for the first time that would be the most rewarding thing I can possibly imagine,” Haifaa Al Mansour was quoted as saying by Campaign Middle East.
The campaign film also gained a lot of attention from Indian netizens on X (formerly Twitter). After watching the video, an X user commented that “In next 10 yrs, Saudi will be the new Europe & Europe will be the old Saudi (sic).”