Nike, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2014, is a brand with a sense of its own history as well as an intense drive to reach new generations of consumers with events that seamlessly weave in technology.
The company continues to be the standard-bearer in the sports apparel business, with revenues of $25.8 billion in 2014, an increase of 7.1 percent over 2013. It rose to number 115 on the Fortune 500 list in 2014, up from 126 in 2013. Helping the brand stay visible and ahead of its competition are engaging activations at major sports events.
The confluence of New York Fashion Week and the N.B.A. All-Star game at Madison Square Garden in New York in February this year provided unique marketing opportunities, which Nike took advantage of with multiple free activations that attracted long lines of basketball fans. That included celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Air Jordan franchise with “the Last Shot,” a simulator that allowed fans to virtually recreate two of Michael Jordan’s game-winning shots—one from the 1982 N.C.A.A. Championship and the other from 1998 N.B.A. Finals. Creative agency AKQA designed a responsive LED half-court with white walls that suddenly populated with cheering fans and flooring that matched the home court from the game.
In another All-Star activation, Nike Basketball and Foot Locker opened the House of Hoops pop-up store in a former Borders Bookstore at Madison Square Garden. The sleek 5,100-square-foot space, produced by marketing firm SET Creative, featured multimedia storytelling installations, a Nike basketball “genealogy,” an area to customize gear, and interactive touch screens. A design using subway tiles, black-and-white photos of city basketball courts, and oversize phrases such as “NYC’s Got Next” gave the environment a firm sense of place. Nike also launched its Snkrs app that weekend, which allows users to “follow” their favorite styles, get product launch alerts, and, of course, buy shoes.
Other major sports events where Nike created fan activations include last year’s U.S. Open, for which it built a full-size regulation tennis court in downtown Manhattan and allowed people to sign up for court time, and the World Cup, which saw the brand create the Nike Hall of Phenomenal, also in New York, that showcased the brand’s soccer gear as part of its marketing efforts.
At the 2015 Super Bowl in Phoenix, Nike hosted multiple events including a game-day tailgate party featuring current N.F.L. players and celebrity chefs. It also sponsored the Nike Speed Zone, a free three-day consumer event with activities such as a 40-yard dash, a speed and agility course, training clinics, skill challenges, and entertainment.
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