In life, we all want to be associated with the best. Be it sitting at the exam hall beside the first girl or getting checked by the best doctor in town or being the best player in a specific sport. We all have a fascination with the number one.

So, what is that the best sports brand in the world does, that unites people irrespective of caste, class and religion? They churn out a campaign on a topic which almost each and every person in the world can associate with. They make a campaign on an alarming topic – equality. A campaign that not only rings a bell in the mind but raises questions in the heart.

What is equality? In layman’s language, equality refers to the state of being equal in terms of equal rights, status or opportunities. It is important as we have been raised saying it’s a world which abides by fair rules and equality. But then with time, one realises how fake those terms are and how unfair the world is around us.

So, what role did Nike play in this game of equality?

In February 2017, the world’s best sports brand came up with a campaign on Equality. The equality video was directed by Melisa Matsoukas who is best known for her music videos and it featured Nike athletes like Serena Williams, LeBron James, Dalilah Muhammad, Kevin Durant, Gabby Douglas, Victor Cruz and Megan Rapinoe. With a phrase, “worth should outshine colour”, the campaign gave people the message to take the fairness and respect they see in sport and translate them off the field.

Usually, sport is considered to be a filed where inequality and cheating is allowed as, everything is fair in love and war. But the, even in a field like sports, equality exists. In tennis, when one player challenges a service judgement, the umpire does cross check with the camera and passes the right decision. In fact, this happens in every sport. So, if equality can happen and be abided by in sports, it can be there everywhere.

This campaign is special as through this initiative Nike donated $5 million to numerous organisations that champions equality in communities across the United States. And Nike’s voice and the power of sport indeed inspired people to take actions in their communities.

-Riya Sarkar

Riya is an alumna of the Class of 2018 of the Post Graduate Programme in Public Relations at SCoRe. She has completed her Masters in English Literature from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. She can be reached at Riya Sarkar on LinkedIn and @sarkarriya_92 on Twitter.

During her programme at SCoRe, Riya interned with Genesis Burson-Marstellar, and received a placement offer from the firm.

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