The Internet has been buzzing since the Nike ad went viral across Indian and international platforms. The video titled ‘Da Da Ding’ was viewed more than 5 million times on Facebook and has drawn over 2.5 million hits on YouTube since it was posted a week ago.
What is the video about?
The three minute long video, includes women across India who have carved out a niche for themselves in the sports they play, and is filmed across Indian streets and playgrounds.
Rani Rampal
The ad stars hockey prodigy Rani Rampal, 21, who is the only Indian to be nominated as the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Women’s Young Player of the Year Award in 2010.
Jyoti Ann Burrett
She holds a lucrative degree in Sports and Health science and yet chose to chase her passion in football. Currently she plays as the striker of India’s women football team and has also played for the Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club in England.
Joshna Chinappa
As of February, 2016 this 29 year old squash player from Chennai attained a world ranking of No. 10. She was the only Indian to win the British Squash Championship title in 2003. She, along with Dipika Pallikal won the squash women’s doubles gold medal, making it India’s first ever Commonwealth Games victory in this sport.
Ishita Malviya
She is India’s first professional female surfer and co- founder of the Shaka Surf Club as well as a camp called Camp Namaloha in Coastal Karnataka. She has time again stated her wish to put India as a surfing destination.
Namrata Purohit
She is the youngest certified Stott Pilates instructor in the world who has trained celebrities ranging from actors to sportspersons and even industrialists.
Harmanpreet Kaur
The vice-captain of the Indian cricket team is a right hand batswoman and is all set to play for the Sydney Thunder in the women’s Big Bash league in Australia this year. She became the first Indian woman cricketer to signed by an overseas Twenty20 franchise.
Shubhlakshmi Sharma
Shubhlakshmi is a right-hand batswoman and right-arm bowler who made it to the team when she was just 18 years old!
Smriti Mandhana
This 20 year old, is a left-hand batswoman made her Test debut in 2014. She scored her maiden ODI hundred against Australia women’s at Hobart during India’s tour of Australia in 2016.
Also, featured is the Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone who can easily be called sports and glamour personified. One may question whether the presence of a Bollywood celebrity might overshadow the presence of these athletes, but Ms. Padukone has also had a history with sport, being a national level badminton player before she shot to fame. She appears brandishing a tennis racket, quashing the shuttlecocks flying her way.
All of these women can be seen in fierce stances with determination twinkling in their eyes, ready to take over the world. Filmed beautifully, the ad avoided the use of a voice-over and instead used a catchy song called ‘Da da ding’ for the background score. The visuals complement the music; pumping you with energy, making you want to get out of bed and ‘JUST DO IT’.
Why should we talk about it?
In a country, where cricket and its male players are revered and male athletes’ triumphs are perceived to hold more weightage, and where the resources are unfairly distributed, it is imperative to acknowledge this campaign. A cynic may just pass this campaign off as a marketing gimmick used by the brand to increase its sales but most would agree that there is more to it than Nike’s own profit. It is a homage, an ode to every hurdle these women have braved along the journey uphill busting all gender myths with their ceaseless spirit.
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