JSW launches campaign to celebrate the unstoppable spirit of the Indian contingent ahead of Tokyo 2020
Carrying On From Rio 2016, Rukna Nahi Hai Is The War Cry As Team India Looks Set To Do Country Proud On The Big Stage
The JSW Group, on Sunday, launched an extension of its campaign, Rukna Nahi Hai, to celebrate and wish the Indian contingent headed for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 that gets underway on July 23. The campaign, launched by way of a video, lauds the indomitable spirit of the Indian athletes who have had to train harder through the difficult circumstances owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, that even caused the postponement of the Games by a complete year.
The film is weaved around the way the athletes have had to adapt through the pandemic that continues to see many parts of the country in a partial or complete state of lockdown. Conceptualised by Ogilvy and directed by Arun Gopalan from the production house Story Tellers, the campaign is a tribute to the determination and desire of the Tokyo-bound athletes – all of whom had to adapt and improvise their training regimes in order to stay prepared for the biggest sporting spectacle.
24 Athletes, including Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu, Manu Bhaker, Bajrang Punia and Vikas Krishan Yadav feature in the video that has them training in the confines of their homes. The film also celebrates the official sponsorship by the Indian conglomerate of the Indian Olympic Association for the Tokyo2020 Games.
The campaign – Rukna Nahi Hai – was launched by JSW in the build-up to the Rio 2016 Games and the Group decided to carry the sentiment through to Tokyo 2020 given all that’s transpired in the build-up to it. The campaign includes a longer version for digital and a crisper TVC to be run on popular channels pre, and during the Games.
We at the JSW Group have always been committed to the cause of elevating India’s performance on the biggest sporting stage of them all – the Olympic Games. We’ve played our part through the last five years in being there for our athletes at every stage in the build-up to the Games. We’ve opened the doors of the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) which is our high-performance training centre in Bellary, to all Tokyo-bound athletes, irrespective of whether they are supported by the JSW Group or not. Our campaign, Rukna Nahi Hai is both, an ode to their undying spirit and a final push of encouragement as they will now step in rings, on mats, in arenas and do all they can to make everyone take notice of the Indian flag and anthem in Tokyo.
Parth Jindal, Managing Director JSW Cements and JSW Paints
Speaking on the launch of the TVC, Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, said, “For these athletes the games are their karmabhoomi and them getting cancelled last year was a jolt they hadn’t expected. But it’s not about what happened last year, but about what did they do after the events got cancelled. The creative idea explores this undying spirit of our athletes. To never give up and to never feel down when it comes to any situation, because in every dark cloud lies a silver lining of an opportunity waiting to be explored. 365 days extra wali training is that silver lining.”
About JSW Group: The US$ 13 billion JSW Group is ranked among India's leading business houses. JSW's innovative and sustainable presence in various sectors including Steel, Energy, Infrastructure, Cement, Paints, Venture Capital and Sports is helping the Group play an important role in driving India’s economic growth. The Group strives for excellence by leveraging its strengths & capabilities including a successful track-record of executing large capital-intensive & technically complex projects, differentiated product-mix, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and greater focus on pursuing sustainable growth. With a culturally diverse workforce spread across India, USA, Europe and Africa, JSW Group directly employs nearly 40,000 people. It also has a strong social development focus aimed at empowering local communities residing around its Plant & Port locations. JSW Group is known to create value for all its stakeholders by combining its growth roadmap, superior execution capabilities and a relentless drive to be #BetterEveryday.
About Ogilvy: Ogilvy has been producing iconic, culture-changing marketing campaigns since the day its founder David Ogilvy opened up shop in 1948. Today, Ogilvy is an award winning integrated creative network that creates experiences, design and communications for Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses across 131 offices in 83 countries. Ogilvy is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WWPGY).
#RuknaNahiHai
Olympics were postponed. But our heroes weren’t dejected. They pushed harder instead. They showed up to give everything they had, turning those extra 365 days into a journey of resilience and discipline.
Now, they are more than ready to take the podium. They’re ready to play their passion. JSW salutes their commitment and wishes the Indian contingent the very best for the Tokyo Olympics.
Champions are relentless.
They prepare for the best of outcomes, amidst the worst of challenges. Whenever the odds were stacked against them, they pushed harder and came out stronger. Only champions keep going even when the world stops.
