In its new seasonal campaign, JD Sports has handed creative control over to 286 young creators aged 16-25 to tell an authentic story of youth and the festive period.

The campaign is the third for the brand from agency Uncommon and aims to get closer to young people by showing the world through their eyes, in whatever style they choose. 

Capturing the raw chaos, joy, emotion and energy of what it means to be a young person in today’s world, the campaign is made up of a global film, out of home, in-store and social elements all shot on phones in 9:16.

The campaign film has been created by 286 young people from around the world, shot in cities including London, Berlin, Tokyo, Naples and Paris. The majority involved are aged 16-25 with director Francis Plummer and editor Anders Mills, aged 27 and 26 respectively. 

The result is a montage of candid, unfiltered moments that range from touching moments of friendship to decorating for the holiday season and hitting life milestones like getting GCSE results. Ditching editing FX and AI in favour of a candid, unfiltered approach, the film is a poignant reflection of JD’s ongoing celebration of young people as part of its Forever Forward brand identity.

“Young people today don’t need to be told who they are, they’re already showing us, which is why we instantly bought into Uncommon’s idea of handing creative control to them. Where are you going? isn’t just about them, it’s for them, made by them. It’s their voice, their energy, their direction. This is youth culture, not as a trend to follow, but as a movement to believe in,” says Neil Corrie, Marketing Director at JD.

Amongst the cast are a range of famous faces selected for their position in youth culture or their role in raising young people up. Cole Palmer is caught having his picture taken by a passing group of mates, Nemzzz is celebrating his new track with his day ones, whilst Jade Thirlwall laughs between takes in the recording studio. Other known faces include Paddy the Baddy, Myles Lewis-Skelly, StillRyan and Skye Newman.

However, famous or not, everyone involved was given the chance to hold the phone and document their everyday lives.

“They say young people live their lives on their phones. It’s true. The moments they’ve recorded with their mates, silly photos taken on holidays, formative moments they’ve saved. It’s a personal space that few get access to. So, using 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,” says Quba Tuakli and Charlie Rout, Senior Creatives at Uncommon Creative Studio.

They continued: “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.”