The Brief

After Nike set up the Elite Training Unit (ETU) to give Chinese football fans the chance to go pro, our challenge was to inspire China’s rising football talents into action. To promote Nike’s ETU, increase the number of Nike football fans in China, and help drive Chinese national football passion, we sought to forge a powerful connection between Nike and Chinese football fans. By fueling China’s Nike football fandom through online and offline initiatives, we hoped to establish a strong foundation for the Nike football brand in China.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We envisioned an online social community for Chinese football fans. Starting with a single-page design to make one-click navigation easy, we powered discussions by using rich media technology from QQ, one of China’s largest chatting networks, and dropping new videos weekly. We even created an integrated mobile interface to keep on-the-go fans connected to the Nike Football Community. We also launched our annual global talent search, The Chance, which gave ETU-enrolled footballers the opportunity to get scouted for Nike’s Top 100 in Barcelona, and added digital innovation to this initiative with the “Bring ETU to My City” online function.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

We transformed the Nike Football website into a thriving online social community. Ultimately, our efforts reached more than 275,000 football-obsessed teens from all over China. 10,000 Chinese youths voted “Bring ETU to My City” in 7 days, while the Nike Football Community acquired over half a million active users in 5 months and received almost 6.7 million total views. Four Chinese footballers went to Nike’s Global Final in Barcelona to represent China’s football dreams. But by digitally engaging hundreds of thousands of Chinese fans, we’ve successfully connected Nike to China’s vast, growing football passion.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

With Chinese teens spending more time online, digital promotion is ideal. Our website design interactively engages fans, and our use of rich media technology lets them talk directly to Nike and participate in live, real-time social feeds. Along with The Chance, the function “Bring ETU to My City” easily connects more Chinese football fans with Nike’s ETU. Through ETU, football fans play exclusively with Nike equipment, and can purchase products from on-site shops. For those who can’t participate in ETU and The Chance, we offer online personal training sessions, continuing to build Chinese fans’ relationship with the Nike football brand.