The Chosen One

As Nike began exponential growth in China, leading the way with consumers was recently-signed High School phenom LeBron James. He had completed his debut NBA season and was a hot global property. Nike had made a major investment in bringing him in against stiff competition Now they wanted to make sure it paid off in the world’s biggest emerging market.

The insight in the brief tapped into the challenges for the youth of China as they strove to come to terms with their identity admist the country’s transformation. The distinct Chinese youth identity they sought could only be achieved through overcoming the obstacles for self-actualisation. They must not be thrown off course on this journey by haters, temptations, complacency and self-doubt. The brand offered them an icon, an aspirational figure who embodied the fearlessness, focus and skills needed. One who could act as a totem for their own journey and be a symbol of resistance, fortitude and achievment (core equities of the Nike brand).

The strategy identified intercepts of African American and North Asian culture to drive relevance and acceptance. The nods to Bruce Lee and Kung Fu movies, cultural phenomena amongst African Americans provided cultural common ground.

The groundbreaking campaign, steeped in baskeball icons, insde rituals and iconography, bestowed meaning for a consumer, addressing their cultural journey and positiong Nike and LeBron as the symbol for relentless progression of empowered youth.

Nike Women

Nike’s journey to a global powerhouse brand had left women behind.

The consumer profile demonstrated a significant gender bias. Nike was not only resonating louder with males, but also alienating females to a degree. Nike was seen as macho, aggressive and focused on the male sport experience.

Attempts to reach female consumers had faltered. They were dismissed as lacking insight, empathy and ‘mansplaining’. As one Dutch research participant famously said: “We’re not boys with boobs, you know”.

Finding the right insights, the team immersed itself in the female fitness experience across Europe with a two-month long research project involving interacting with female athletes, teams and fitness addicts. Nike built an understanding of the unique female sporting experience – the challenges, the inspirations, the rewards; but also the frustrations and tensions.

The brand needed to intervene and engage with authentic recognition and action to improve the women’s sport experience which was inferior to that of their male counterparts. The brand situated itself at the epicentre of this gap and sought to level-up the sport experience with a celebration women’s unique relationship with sport. Instill pride, dismissing inferiority and changing defence to offence.

The output integrated multiple product, media and experiential activations, a hghlight of which was a collectible series of books capturing the voice of female athletes in culture. The Encyclopedia of Contradictions and Let the Bitch Out became coveted by women across Europe, driving traffic to retail and hitting new highs in engagement. It set the foundation for a major reset in the brand’s gender relationships and a European compound growth rate over 20% for the next 5 years amongst women consumers.

Tailored by England

The England Football Association rights contract is the most expensive sport marketing team asset in the world. The attention of the nation and the wider football community is focused on each and every iteration, as it is loaded with intense political and cultural meaning for national and individual identity.

The England fan was changing much as the nation itself was changing. A former bastion of white male identity and communion, the fan base was reflective of the contemporary population and the modern England team: more diverse and inclusive. A challenge to the orthodoxy manifested resistance, but also an empowerment of the new generation through their pride in their Englishness.

Umbro, a heritage brand with rich storytelling at heart, had been founded by tailors who felt their skills with garment function and form would benefit the sportsman. Their earliest football kits changed the category of sportswear as technical knowledge and high aesthetics combined for the first time to serve performance on the field. Bringing alive the brand, the new England shirt was tailored on Saville Row, a traditional centre of English craft. Storytelling connected this heritage to the country’s modern diversity and inclusivity.

Central to the ambitious project to bring 102 English nationals born overseas (a representative of each nationality resident in England) together on Greenwich Hill. The resulting photo shoot was heavily advertised and socialized along with an online and National Geographic exhibit fully expanding the concept.

The multi-layered campaign was amplified by celebrations of Englishness and English culture. Showcased in multiple incarnations across different media, the things that define the English – the dogs, the tea, the funny faces. And of course, the footballers.

Over 28 million adults were hit with the key messages, 58% of the total population in just two weeks. Over 20,000 shirts were sold in the first 12 hours. The campaign won Best Launch at Cannes Lions and Campaign of the Year at the PR Week Awards..

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.