JD Sports lets Gen Z call the shots

This year, with the help of Uncommon, sportswear retailer JD Sports has handed over full creative control of its Christmas campaign, Where Are You Going?, to the young people it aims to reach.  

The brand, which is synonymous with youth fashion and culture, decided to get closer than ever to its audience by giving 286 individuals phones to capture the ad’s footage. Ditching elaborate production and festive sets for authentic insight, the film breaks the mould of traditional AV to show us the word through their eyes.  

The 9:16 film was crafted by young people from around the world, with the majority involved aged 16–25, and director Francis Plummer and editor Anders Mills, aged 27 and 26 respectively.

This principle was carried into the casting process of famous faces including Jade Thirlwall, Paddy the Baddy, Nemzzz and Skye Newman, who were selected either as a symbol of youth in their cultural sphere, or known for raising young people up.  

Quba Tuakli and Charlie Rout, Senior Creatives at Uncommon Creative Studio ad, says: “The phone was a perfect tool to challenge ourselves to get closer to the generation who power JD and are shaping the culture of tomorrow. The result is a campaign that’s distinctly youthful, in a space dominated by yesterday’s sensibilities. It’s the perfect evolution of our partnership with JD, one that allows us to constantly push the boundaries of what’s expected in the category, by giving the stage to everyday truths.”