The Brief

In Japan, baseball players have a different ethos than their counterparts in the west. Team unity is paramount, and attention on individual performance is considered to be presumptuous. Nike needed to inspire and empower young high school athletes with more than just new products, but with a new philosophy for winning, in order to compete against Japanese traditional brands such as Asics and Mizuno.

Creative Execution

School teams were sent a box of 9 baseballs, with one ball for each position on a baseball field. Each ball is numbered and represents the position of the player and his jersey number (a standard in Japanese baseball). The QR code takes the players to a special Mobile site specific to that position. (i.e. #2 is the catcher, #9 is the right fielder). Each mobile site contained a training log and tips, plus advice from Nike athletes on how to be the best at their position. The mobile sites also enabled players to compete on stats with other athletes from other schools.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We created Nike 9 Heroes a national mobile platform and direct mail initiative that set out to inspire the one to empower the many. The mobile site gave the players training tools and tips to improve their individual skills but also connect and compete with other players.

Results

Of the 950 boxes delivered, each containing 9 balls with a QR code, we were able to track click through rates of more than 3 times to 7 times the normal DM rates in Japan (different positions used the mobile site more than others). The Nike 9 Heroes campaign changed the notion that personal performance should be subdued but also reinforced the idea that in Japanese baseball; one hero is one too many, but 8 is just not enough.