Nike's Cheat Code,"W+K"
How do you hit Gen-X, Millennials and Gen-Z’ers ...?... where it will “hurt”? You press "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start." Or, in the case of NIKE, you create an immersive experiential marketing campaign!
Nike teamed up with Wieden + Kennedy to set their sights on their core demographics favorite past time, video games 🎮 The dynamic duo uploaded customers into a digital world called “REACT LAND” where 8-bit versions of themselves could run & jump as eloquently as Super Mario once did through a video game. Thanks to a treadmill, hand-controlled trigger and NIKE’s newest product model, the “EPIC REACT” flyknit running shoe 👟 customers were able to live out their childhood fantasies of being a video game character 😲
The beauty of this activation is in the integrated strategy used to create one ultimate experience with maximum leverage for the brand. Wieden + Kennedy Shanghai used online & offline strategies that helped garner attention, build relationships, leverage continuous engagement; both in person and online with their audience all while driving sales for NIKE. Let’s break it down.
The campaign integrations included....
Brand Activation: Via pop up activations inside NIKE stores in China, the team was able to hit their target demographic in real time during the purchasing process
Lead Generation: In order to play, gamers signed up via email or social media, adding to NIKE’s extensive email list and social following where they can continuously engage with their audience after the activation.
Content Creation: NIKE of course generated their own content with onsite photo & video to showcase the experience but consumer generated content from those onsite and spectating ended up being wildly shared.
Product Sampling: The best part about this campaign is the fun organic use of product sampling. Gamers strapped NIKE’s to their feet, hit the treadmill and got a real time experience of the brands new “Epic React” shoe. This beats the “half-stepping in front of a mirror to make sure they fit” experience shoe shopping currently offers. Gamers felt the softness, the bounce, the durability in the Epic React’s while engaging in an activity that fits the products purpose!
Shareable Content: To wrap it all up and extend the activation's life further, the gamers received a copy of their characters video game adventure via email and excitedly shared with their followers on social media, extending the campaigns life and creating envy among all those that didn’t participate.
The below video highlights NIKE’s activation giving us a glimpse into the scale and just how immersive...and fun it really was. This is just one of the successful brand experiences executed by NIKE in partnership with Wieden + Kennedy, leaving us to wonder... when's part 2 coming!?
#Stay Creative
Jarrod White
CREDITS
Nike China
VP Marketing: Steve Tsoi
Senior Director of Brand Experience: Simon Lee
Director of Greater China Brand Communications: Che Lin
Senior Brand Manager: Miao Wang
WIEDEN+KENNEDY SHANGHAI
Executive Creative Director: Ian Toombs, Vivian Yong
Creative Director: Okan Usta, Hesky Lu
Art Director: Josh King
Copywriter: Aier Xu
Head of Integrated Production: Sanne Drogtrop
