Brief Explanation

When it comes to basketball in China, kids love Kobe. But they have all his flashiness but none of his skill. A traditional TV ad could easily instruct kids to play better but we needed action not views. We wanted kids to play how Kobe plays, feel what Kobe feels, and wear the shoes that Kobe wears. We ditched the TV in favor of something a little more provocative and confronting – an old slaughterhouse. We transformed this space into a Temple of Kobe. An experience designed to challenge kids to 5 tests based on Kobe’s greatest basketball asset. Each individual test was an onslaught to the senses forcing ballers to rely on instinct, skill and reflex. Flashy moves didn’t count for anything here. The experience was as beautiful as it was physically demanding. A stunning case of art and sport merging to create an unforgettable experience kids will never forget.

The Brief

Kids in China worship Kobe but they don’t know what it really takes to play like him and sadly, there are few opportunities for them to learn. They love basketball but rarely experience the thrill of impressing a coach or the feeling of achievement for having exceeded a test. This isn’t a problem in the short term, but basketball is in its infancy in China, it’s vital for Nike to invest in the future of basketball. Additionally, we must fuel the profile of international superstars like Kobe in China. We helped kids to not just look like Kobe, but play like him too.

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

Within hours of launching the “Deadly Quickness Mobile Game”, the test spread like wildfire on social media. In the first 24 hours, it was played over 300,000 times but only a handful of the players had the skills to pass it. Blogs and forums immediately sprang up offering tips and tricks to beat it. To date, the test has been taken 1.5 million times. We intentionally kept the “Temple of Deadly Quickness” experience exclusive, special and prestigious to attract the basketball elite of China. The word spread quickly; press, basketball influencers and diehard fans all flocked to the temple. Ballers came from across China & lined up for up to 4 hours to get their chance to prove their quickness. Their experience generated huge amounts of content, countless tweets & posts on Weibo and WeChat to a collective audience of millions. The experience also earned PR and mentions in top industry and basketball blogs and websites.

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

The campaign began with the launch of a “quickness test” -- a mobile game inspired by the tests the US Air Force uses to select pilots. The game wasn’t easy and those with real potential were summoned by Kobe to his Temple of Deadly Quickness. For 7 days, we transformed a historic art space in Shanghai into a testing ground that challenged players to a series of deadly quickness tests. In order to pass all 5 physically-demanding tests, players needed to demonstrate mastery of skills necessary to dominate the court in real game-time situations: agility, stealth-like quickness, accuracy, analytical skills, and commitment. Many fell short, but those who had the skills to pass all 5 tests earned a reward from Kobe; a handcrafted limited edition ring. Every player, whether they passed or not, was given a shareable video of their experience to show off to their friends on social media.