“Write the future” – but make sure they just do it

On May 20^th, Nike launched an epic TV ad featuring international footballers including Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and other stars such as Roger Federer and the animated cartoon character Homer Simpson.

The three minute “Write the Future” ad set a new record for most views of a viral video ad in its debut week, reaching a 7.8 million views in its first week (it has almost 18 millions views in YouTube as of today). The epic video showed the stars teetering on the brink between glory and failure, their success on the pitch (or lack of) rippling through society, affecting the world around them and changing their own lives.

If only football was as predictable as Nike’s viral success. With over two weeks to go and approaching the final stages of the competition, all the footballers starring in the ad have packed their bags and left South Africa.