David Smith, who has run creative for Nike and EA Sports at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, is returning to Australia to launch Blood Utd - a specialist sports and eSport agency.
Based in Melbourne but working across the region, Blood Utd aims to “get under the skin of sport and gaming” and make work that is culturally relevant and resonates with its audience on a deeper level.
Smith has an impressive CV and was the creative director behind recent Nike ads featuring Turkish football star Arda Turan (see below).
At Wieden+Kennedy he was EMEA reigional creative director of Nike and global lead for EA Sports' biggest title FIFA. He has also been creative director on Vodafone, Air New Zealand, Coca Cola and Heineken, producing some of the most memorable global campaigns in sport.
“Whether I am making a football campaign in Turkey, working with kickboxers in Russia, filming V8 supercars in Australia or doing the reboot of a video game, I want to understand what makes the athletes, the gamers and the fans tick,” he says.
“I want to live and breathe their world. For me, it is the only way to cut through, especially given the rise of ad-blockers and the deluge of unwanted content that we face. If you want to be relevant, if you want to be blood with someone, you need to act like family.”
Smith has launched a website for his new venture: bloodutd.com.
Examples of Smith's work
Nike - Real Girls of Moscow
Heineken - This is the Game (writer)
FIFA 15 - Feel the Game
Vodafone - The Titanic Tank Race
Nike - The Herculeans
Nike - Half Time
Nike - The House of Zenith
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