To promote its new Nike Court collection in the days leading up to the US Open, the sportswear giant built its own urban court on Manhattan’s Meatpacking District and offered a premium fan experience as its tennis endorsers and the public played pop-up matches.
The idea behind the event was to commemorate Nike’s very first 1995 tennis collection and is something of an homage to that year’s Agassi and Sampras fronted urban NYC tennis campaign,
So this 2015 experience Nike offered 95 continuous hours of play and anyone with a Nike+ account could go on Nike.com and request court time.
Officially the event was not open for the general public to walk-on and play, but passers-by could (depending on availability) attend as spectators.
Nike also hosted a ‘special influencers evening’ and a tennis clinic with New York Junior Tennis & Learning’s program for kids fronted by an in-person an appearance by 1995 star ambassador and legend Andre Agassi.
The campaign was amplified across Nike and ambassador social platforms,
Stole the Show. pic.twitter.com/9SResBE2o8
— NikeCourt (@Nikecourt) August 25, 2015
Hey @Nikecourt let's go play street ball. #stealtheshow pic.twitter.com/WMBdzZ9szn
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 24, 2015
but there was comparatively minimal PR or promotion for this guerrilla-style surprise pop-up event at Canal Street.
As well as Nike+ account holders, the court was, of course, also graced by the brand’s star-studded line-up of tennis greats wearing the apparel brand’s new tennis range which will be soon throughout the US Open tournament itself.
Current superstars Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, along with young Canadian sensation Eugenie Bouchard and current tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios were joined on court by legends and Nike ambassadors such as Pete Sampras
@Nike #stealtheshow pic.twitter.com/aHAqA4Pp36
— Lance Fresh (@LanceFresh) August 24, 2015
The Nike team, led by Rob Aldinger (director of Nike events east), Damian Bulluck (brand director of Nike Sportswear) and Paul Chang (brand manager of Nike Sportswear), worked on the campaign with Production Glue who oversaw the infrastructure, creative management, execution, and stage production.
Production Glue used around 10,000 square feet of space to house the tennis court itself, plus two brand immersive locker rooms for participants.
Players arrived to find a full tennis kit waiting, with customized name plaques, a formal entrance check-in tent, and amphitheatre-style seating for guests.
‘The goal was to create something that would have an impact and create a media, as well as influencer, moment,’ explains Tom Bussey, founder and principal at Production Glue.
‘This was meant to be an amplified, hyped-up version of what you see on a public court by the Hudson River. The idea of the court is to have a premium professional playing surface. Everything was intended to be authentic and legitimate.’
The campaign continued on Nike’s social platforms using the #StealTheShow hashtag through the US Open tournament itself with endorser-led content,
The calm before the storm. #stealtheshow pic.twitter.com/kYEZpLH8ph
— NikeCourt (@Nikecourt) August 27, 2015
Just getting started. #stealtheshow pic.twitter.com/XGZMenP4oK
— NikeCourt (@Nikecourt) September 1, 2015
and work pushing specific endorser-backed tennis products.
Sampras approved. The Air Oscillate is available now: http://t.co/aqaY28G60g #nikecourt pic.twitter.com/OB7LrM5bsV
— Nike Sportswear (@nikesportswear) August 26, 2015
Comment
This funky, guerrilla-style disruptive event neatly balanced consumer experiences with ambassador appearances, while projecting the brand’s tennis heritage and its achievement-focused positioning.
Whilst it was an edgy experience, it was slightly less overtly rebellious than Nike’s Kyrgios-fronted #Play Your Own Rules’ Wimbledon campaign (see case study).
Links
Nike Tennis Website:
http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/tennis
Nike Court Twitter:
Nike Court Website:
http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/tennis/nike-court?ref=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FYpxKEcBpFT
