LIGHT OF SPEED

TitleLIGHT OF SPEED
BrandNIKE
Product / ServiceZOOM
CategoryA02. Creative Innovation (incl. business solutions in association with a brand or creative campaign)
EntrantMINDSHARE CHINA Shanghai, CHINA
Media Agency MINDSHARE CHINA Shanghai, CHINA
Entrant Company MINDSHARE CHINA Shanghai, CHINA
Media Agency 2 MINDSHARE CHINA Shanghai, CHINA
Production Company FABRIQATE CHINA Guangzhou, CHINA

Credits

Name Company Position
Ananth Devarajan Mindshare China Director, Digital Innovations
Simon Ashwin Mindshare China Managing Partner
Danny Lee Nike Media Director
Vicky Huang Nike Media Manager
Renee Pan FabriQate Progam Director
Lisa Li Pyle Advertising Project Manager
Joe Lau Nike Territories South Lead
Archit Hari FabriQate Project Manager
Joey Kang Mindshare China Partner, Strategic Planning

The Brief

How do runners prepare for a big race? They aim, they train, and they run. But who are they competing against? Core runners biggest competition is against themselves. If only there was a way runners could replicate themselves and race one-on-one. Self-on-self. Nike wanted to help runners prepare for the biggest marathon in Southern China: Guangzhou. We wanted to give core runners the chance to race their biggest competition. Using Nike+ data and the power of light after dark, we built a self-racing track. These were hard-core marathon runners, not casual joggers or fashionable teens. The two weeks in the run-up to the Guangzhou marathon were precious. Final preparation, race strategy, and psychological discipline. We wanted to give them the edge they were looking for. From a media planning perspective the existing media options at running hot spots around Guangzhou were not enough to inspire runners to the next level. So we decided to leverage the data hidden in plain sight in Nike's owned platforms to push runners even further.

How do you know you’ve irked a competitor? When they petition the government to have your event shut down. Due to SuperX’s complaints, Nike Light of Speed was shut down a day early. But that didn’t stop Nike from generating twice as much branded buzz around the marathon compared to the official sponsor. The results were extraordinary. This was the first custom-built LED track of its kind in the world. Not only did over 300 of Guangzhou’s most disciplined and competitive runners compete against themselves, but numerous traditional and online media outlets covered the event. Nike received earned media equal to 10X the cost of the entire activation, including construction of the 1km track! But the most important result was that one in five of our runners beat their personal best, and won an important psychological race.

These were hard-core marathon runners, not casual joggers or fashionable teens. The two weeks in the run-up to the Guangzhou marathon were precious. Final preparation, race strategy, and psychological discipline. We wanted to give them the edge they were looking for. We recruited core runners using the Nike Running WeChat group, invited them to the Nike store to pick up a pair of Zooms, and test them out at the custom-built 1km Nike Light of Speed Running Track. The host of these 400 two-meter long LED screens was the Tianhe Stadium, the kit pick point for the official sponsor, local competitor SuperX. All marathon runners who stopped by to pick up kit could see that Light of Speed was going on; but only Nike runners could access it. Using Nike+ app data, each runner was given the chance to race a light representation of their best time. Seeing it, chasing it, reaching it. They wanted to win.