Nike
Throughout our 40 years of existence, Nike has been by our side. The beauty of our partnership with Nike is not only the culturally impactful stories we've told together but also the breadth and scale of the work we've been able to create across our network and the world. From celebrating their 50th year anniversary and tennis legend Serena Williams, to taking their social media swagger to the next level, we've done so much with the brand and we're just getting started.
Nike 50TH
W+K PORTLAND
In May 2022, Nike celebrated its 50th anniversary and we were tasked with celebrating their history to kick start another 50 years of progress in sport to engage Gen-Z. No small task. But we knew this campaign couldn’t just be a romanticization of Nike’s past, one for the old school athletes who grew up with the brand. It needed to resonate with youth athletes too—those who don’t have the same nostalgia for Nike’s history, but can still be inspired by it.
To do this we took an icon from the past that’s part of Nike’s DNA and remixed it for the future. In an homage to the Mike vs Spike ads of the 90s, we resurrected Spike Lee’s iconic character Mars Blackmon to play history buff and hype man in a face off between the past and present. “Seen It All” begins with Mars passionately commenting on the epic sports moments and iconic athletes of the past 50 years, then turning to a young, confident protagonist named Zimmie who conveys the raw optimism, pure energy and unlimited potential that can be found in the next 50 years of sport. Zimmie reminds Mars and us that, "You think you've seen everything, but you ain't seen nothing yet."
To make an impact with Gen-Z, on TikTok we put Zimmie on a mission, and used a sound clip from the film to recruit the next generation of athletes by remixing and showcasing their own greatness. Rounding out the campaign journey with our audience engaging directly with Nike.
Results:
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‘Seen It All’ delivered highest traffic towards the Nike app in history
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On TikTok 61.M views, 67.5K videos
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#1 TikTok Viral Song
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Nike CEO John Donahoe: “this was brand heat translating to member engagement.”
You've Never Seen England Like This/Lioness
W+K AMSTERDAM + LONDON
It’s the 2022 Women’s Euros. Women’s football is on the cusp of blowing up in popularity. Everyone knows England is football crazy. But how could people get excited about the women representing their nation—a team they hadn’t heard or seen enough of?
The challenge was clear—hype the England team and make women’s football unmissable by doing something of epic proportions. We ensured everyone knew who they were by hijacking famous UK landmarks representing a strength possessed by each player, and plastered the spaces with striking projections of what makes each athlete special.
And when they did the unthinkable and brought England to victory, we reclaimed a phrase the country had been waiting to chant for decades. Through a projection under Wembley’s iconic arch, flags, t-shirts and banners—we flooded the winning moment and let everyone know it was the women that finally brought it ‘home’.
Results:
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17M UK TV audience for the finals
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550M+ global TV viewership
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+44% engagement in @nikelondon content
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+160% UK visits to nike.com women’s bra product page (after Chloe Kelly celebration)
World Cup
W+K SÃO PAULO
Our goal was to create the campaign for the launch of Brazil's jersey for the 2022 World Cup.
A campaign that always generates a lot of expectation, since our yellow jersey is a national institution, a symbol not only of soccer, but also of the pride of being Brazilian.
The challenge was to find the latent feeling to guide our narrative.
And it had to do with something that is part of every Brazilian, player or not: THE BRAZILIAN GRIT.
What does grit have to do with Brazilian football? At first sight, it doesn't. If anyone could choose one word to define our football, it would be something between creativity and magic. But nothing here is simply given. Magic only comes with absurd amounts of struggle, sweat and tears.
Grit is our survival instinct. Grit is the only way to change our reality. Grit makes us magical. Twice as smart, twice as skillful—because that's the only chance we have to succeed.
Grit took us here. Grit will take us there.
The campaign reached 9 million people with spontaneous media, dominating the conversation about soccer in Brazil during the launch week. The demand was so high that the shirts sold out of the initial stock.
Juku
W+K TOKYO
Japan's entrance exams are notoriously difficult. In the years leading up to college, kids may study an extra 7.5 hours on top of the school day, often attending "cram schools" (juku). Being glued to their desks studying doesn't just take a toll on their physical health but on their mental and emotional state as well.
But multiple studies show that short bursts of physical activity can directly affect academic performance. Even 12 minutes of exercise can improve concentration and reading ability for an hour. 10 minutes can improve test scores by 5.5%. So we created Nike Juku, a program aiming to help students refresh their brains through short, simple study breaks where they get their bodies moving.
Since sport's impact on academic performance has never been explained, we launched the initiative through a song written in collaboration with ATARASHII GAKKO!, a band with over 3.5 million followers on TikTok.
The single, "WOO! GO!" and its music video welcomed students to the world of Nike Juku and directed them to try special Study Breaks through its online lessons. These included the comedian Yuriyan Retriever teaching a massage to soothe hands tired from taking notes, stress-easing meditation by skateboarding gold medalist Yuto Horigome, a Tik Tok workout challenge, and many other exercises. No grades. No pressure. No supplies. And, of course, no tests.
Results:
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In the first 10 days, the video got over 6 million views, 62+ million media impressions, and 159k+ visits to nike.com CDP.
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Study Breaks participation: 482k views on Youtube (organic+paid)
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Gained 2x more coverage versus other non-product launches with 59 pieces of coverage with 4.6m estimated views.
Nike FM Broadcast
BODEGA/W+K NEW YORK
We turned Black History Month into Black Future Year for Nike by building a content series that champions athletes and activists, called Nike Future Movement Broadcast, or Nike FM.
By focusing on often overlooked issues, Nike FM aimed to connect with often overlooked GenZers out there, waiting to hear their heroes talk honestly about their struggles—so that maybe they can better understand their own.
Going beyond just a product drop, Nike FM represents a genuine effort to build an eco-system of content and community where Black, brown and non-binary youth can see themselves, and feel seen. This ethos informed all aspects of the project’s production and development.
Nike went on to commission Bodega to do a second series of FM Broadcast that launched in May 2022 and is running throughout the year.
Results:
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200 million total video views
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40 million YouTube views
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40% of viewers identified as youth (18-24)
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Resonated best with BIPOC communities as the top performing audience, accounting for 23% of clicks across platforms.
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25% of viewers watched the full episodes. Outperforming all other Nike series.
Nike Pacific
W+K TOKYO
Australian of the year and tennis legend, Dylan Alcott is joining forces with AFLW player Darcy Vescio and record-holding runner Catriona Bisset to share running tips and advice with runners all over. And Running legend, Catherine Freeman gets in on the action herself.
Nike’s Runners Helping Runners platform, which has been established across the globe, was built to introduce runners to Nike’s global running community and encourage sharing of knowledge and support among runners. Today, it makes its way to Melbourne, one of the running capital’s of the world.
From a mobile command center inside the iconic Australian all-terrain OKA van, the team answers calls from runners, ranging from how to get motivated to run amid an anxiety-inducing stream of bad news, to getting past pre-race jitters.
Nike’s athletes don’t just answer over the phones, they show up to where runners need them—whether it’s via OKA or sheer running power is unclear.
Set to a cover of “Born To Be Alive” by Melbourne’s Amyl and The Sniffers, the film by W+K Tokyo is the first for Nike Pacific. It aims to foster a greater sense of community and inclusivity in running and promote running as an outlet for the stress of the past few years.