Nike has released ‘Bleed Blue Pledge,’ a new ad campaign where the pride, passion, and fearless soul of Indian cricket brought to life through the voice of the elite athletes of Team India. During the 60-second ad the members of the Indian Cricket Team articulate the passion for cricket in this country, pulling back the curtain long enough for the viewer to witness how the game is played, loved and revered from the perspective of the athlete.
‘Bleed Blue Pledge’ is not just the voice of the professional athletes who play the game; it’s the voice of the sport as it exists inside the hearts and minds of millions of Indian fans and players. Meshed with scenes of real match play, ‘Bleed Blue Pledge’ features elite cricket athletes like Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, S. Sreesanth, Sachin Tendulkar, M.S. Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir describing the tenets of their game. They dominate to the point where their opponents fear them. They approach the game head on. They break boundaries and achieve dreams. They banish fear, pain, and most of all: excuses. They give their heart and soul to the game of cricket, understanding that they are not only representing their team, but that they are speaking for entire nations who have become unified by a common love.
‘Bleed Blue’ has encapsulated the fervor for cricket in India by collecting over 11 million handprints via an innovative digital and events campaign that asked fans to express their loyalty to the team by simply marking their handprint in blue. Fans were then able to post their unique handprint to their Facebook page to share with friends and with India’s men in Blue. Fans can continue to ‘Bleed Blue’ and follow the latest on Team India through Nike’s YouTube channel featuring candid interviews with Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, and Sreesanth and through the Nike Cricket Facebook page.
As the sporting world prepares for cricket to enter quarter final round play, Team India will be seen sporting Nike’s Considered team kits made from recycled plastic bottles. Nike, the official apparel sponsor for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), introduced its considered design ethos in Team India’s game day apparel in September 2010.